This project entails the design and implementation of the 1996-1997 National Survey of the Oral Health of U.S. School Children (OHSC III). The major objectives of OHSC III are threefold: (1) to assess the relative frequency and sociodemographic distribution of certain oral diseases and disorders in U.S. schoolchildren in grades K through 12, (2) to oversample selected minority schoolchildren to provide statistically reliable baseline national estimates of oral health for Black non-Hispanic and Hispanic schoolchildren, and (3) to provide the database for the late nineties needed toe valuate shorter- and longer-term trends in coronal caries and certain other oral diseases and disorders. Oral examinations will be taken with a national scientific sample of approximately 31,000 U.S. schoolchildren. The oral examinations will yield information on clinical parameters of coronal caries, gingivitis, periodontal diseases, selected occlusal and craniofacial characteristics. Parental and student questionnaires will yield information on sociodemographic characteristics, oral health behaviors, and oral-health related information on community contexts. The main data collection will take place during the 1996-1997 academic school year. Methodological and substantively-oriented analyses will be carried out during 1997-1999. During this past fiscal year, the RFC for the project was developed, an RFP was announced, responses to the RFP were evaluated by an extramural review panel, a contract was negotiated and awarded, and materials for the Office of Management and Budget clearance package were developed.