The bases for the construction of sociodental indicators is discussed in the paper, considering several available indexes of oral health status (dental caries, periodontal disease, malocclusion, oral hygiene, and other oral conditions) as well as measures of quality of services. Very little research exists relating any of the above measures to social indicators such as personal life-style or cultural and ecological factors. Such expansion would enable dental indicators to be useful for purposes of policy decisions. Combining any dental indicators or set of indicators with a potential global social health index is discussed in terms of potential problems obscuring dentistry's cost to society. Dentistry, in addition, is offered as a system in microcosm-one which can be useful for purposes of polishing methodology for the social health indicator movement.
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