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Although teenagers are one of the healthiest population groups as far as general health is concerned, this group uses fewer health services, and has low mortality rates; it also is the age in life when exposure begins for various risk factors for health problems. Multiple, rapid changes in physical, psychological and social domains may be associated with specific patterns of disease and unusual presentations of symptoms – compounded by age-specific communication challenges and bursts in developing and affirming individual personality traits. Although the World Health Organization (WHO) proposed a definition of health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social welfare and not just the absence of disease”, considerable progress in developing functional health measures has made this definition more dynamic – including the overall agreement that oral health is part of overall health (3). Because dental caries (tooth decay) is one of the most common chronic diseases in children and adolescents in Mexico [prevalence is about 70 and 85%, respectively, in the permanent dentition at 12 years of age, it is considered a public health problem. It is also widely acknowledged that in the industrialized world and in emerging economies, the disease is concentrated in population groups affected by social and economic disadvantage, even after the implementation of dental public health measures. This disease profile is reflected in the high prevalence of unmet oral health needs, often on account of the high cost of professionally delivered dental care and significant burden for payers at point-of-care delivery and for health systems.