OBJECTIVE: Describe the epidemiology of Tinea capitis in three hospitals in the Val de Marne (suburban district southeast of Paris) and evaluate the usefulness of screening the families of index cases. METHODS: The study included 3 hospitals: Henri Mondor Hospital, Creteil Intermunicipal Hospital Center and Bicêtre Hospital. Index patients had a positive culture for dermatophytes during visits to the mycology-dermatology or pediatric clinics from January 1998 through December 2002. The diagnostic procedure was identical in all centers. In two centers, scalp samples were taken routinely from family members, even in the absence of clinical lesions. Species were identified according to the phenotypic features of the cultures. We recorded the age, sex, and geographic origin of each patient, when available. RESULTS: Samples were obtained from 487 outpatients (including family members): 383 were positive (356 children under 16 years, 27 adults). Of the children with positive cultures, 214 were boys (60%); of the adults, 18 (66%) were women. Distribution of geographic origin was: sub-Saharan Africa (71%), Europe (10%), Caribbean (5%) and North Africa (4,7%). Species identification confirmed the predominance of anthropophilic species, with 46% of the isolates Trichophyton soudanense and 33% Microsporum langeronii. T. violaceum was reported in 5.5% of cases and T. tonsurans in 2.8%. M. canis (9%), found in 34 Europeans, was the main zoophilic species. Family screening accounted for 263 of the 487 outpatients. Of 242 children from 86 families, 153 (63%) had positive cultures. Of the 21 parents, 5 had a positive culture. Globally, the family screening identified 158 cases in 263 tests (60%). CONCLUSION: Tinea capitis in the Val de Marne is mainly due to anthropophilic species and involves children of African origin. The frequency of family contamination indicates that routine screening of family members of infected children is valuable.