Urinary Fluoride Excretion Of Children From Basel In Relation To Dental Health And Dietary Habits M. Beckstein, P. Minnig (1), J. Guindy, J. Meyer* (Institute for Preventive Dentistry and Oral Microbiology, University of Basel, and 1School Dental Clinics, Basel, Switzerland) The purpose of the study was to determine correlations between caries experience, urinary fluoride excretion and several dietary parameters among school children in Basel, Switzerland. 410 six- and 354 twelve-year-olds, representing 22% of the respective age group participated in the study. Fluoride concentrations were measured in the morning urine, DMFT/dmft and DMFS/dmfs values were recorded and a questionnaire was collected which contained information on dietary habits and oral hygiene practices. Mean fluoride concentration was 0.83 ppm for both age groups. Consumption of fluoridated water and provision of snacks by parents or teachers correlated with low caries prevalence.   However, caries experience was primarily influenced by the ethnic background, i.e. immigrant children had considerably higher dmft/DMFT values. Water fluoridation still contributes to oral health of children. Future school caries preventive programs should consider cultural traditions and should more strongly integrate parents and teachers.