Oral Health in Guatemalan Rural Populations

In three Guatemalan rural populations ab-sence of preventive measures, lack of oral hygiene, and poor diet were associated with severe dental caries. Young subjects with deciduous teeth had a higher incidence of caries than previously reported. Good mas-ticatory functional patterns prevailed. Oral diseases have been reported to be fre-quent in the Guatemalan rural population.'-4 The dental problems are exaggerated by the gap that exists between the dentists needed and the number available. The majority of smaller villages do not have any dental services, and most of the rural populations lack dental care. In the present study fur-ther understanding was sought of the com-ponents contributing to the incidence of caries. The periodontal-oral hygiene index was analyzed in detail. Also, an attempt was made in one of the study areas to analyze a functional aspect of occlusion. Materials and Methods This report concerns the status of dental health of three Guatemalan rural popula-tions. Two are located along the coast in the Pacific lowlands region. The first, Finca El Salto in Esquintla, is one of the largest fincas of this region and its population is predominantly Ladino. * The second com-munity, Finca El Ingenio in the department of Suchitepequez, is much smaller and less prosperous than El Salto, and workers are primarily of Mayan Indian origin. The third This investigation was supported by Grant No