The purpose of this project is to develop well-documented edited databases for various national oral health surveys e.g., the Dental Component of the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), Phase 1 (1988-1991) and Phase 2 (1991-1994), and the National Institute of Dental Research's (NIDR's) National Surveys of Oral Health in U.S. School Children in 1979-1980 and 1986-1987. Developing databases involves a sequence of steps. These include development of error-checking specifications and file documentation procedures; translation of specifications into computer language code; development of standardized variable names and summary variables; examination of distributions and relationships among variables to evaluate data consistency; addressing statistical and methodological issues related to integrating data from previous NIDR surveys; and preparation of extensive documentation on the survey design and database structure. Since 1992, public use files have been developed for the NIDR's National Surveys of the Oral Health of U.S. School Children in 1979- 1980 and 1986-1987, adding to public use tapes previously developed by the Institute. Currently public use electronic files of the dental component of NHANES III are being developed and documentation prepared. The data will be used to contribute to ongoing studies on the magnitude, severity, scope, and interrelationships of oral health conditions in the U.S. population. The documentation and file structure permits researchers to perform their own analyses with minimal technical assistance.
