A Computer Aided Community Oral Health Information System (CACOHIS) was developed under AIM Exploratory Action. The important features of this system are that the oral health requirements of oral health physicians are defined. A mechanism for collecting critical, relevant and meaningful information is described. This information is collected by direct data entry into computers in the field. These elements then provide readily available and useful information for the planning and evaluation of oral health services by health service personnel at various levels. CACOHIS can be used both in the developed and third worlds, particularly for screening for early oral manifestations of viral diseases. The important features of CACOHIS are that it facilitates a normative planning process and can be successfully utilised in under-developed health systems.