The purpose of this survey was to track the dental health status of primary school attending children using School Dental Services. The data were collected through a random sample of the records of examinations performed by the School Dental Services. Data collected included the child's demographic characteristics, deciduous caries, permanent caries, urgent dental care needs, and the presence of fissure sealants.

Exam records were selected through a random sampling process. The sampling ratio varies by state, as does the number of exam records included in this survey. If a student was examined more than once during 1988, then only the first exam record was counted for this survey.