Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
PhD Candidate, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
2
PhD Candidate, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
3
Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIM: Dental caries is considered the most common chronic disease in childhood and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index is regarded as a valuable prognostic factor for oral and dental health in adulthood. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the prevalence of DMFT and self-care behavior among 7-10-year-old students in Quchan, a city in northeast Iran.
METHODS: A total of 528 students aged 7-10 years old, selected through cluster random sampling, participated in this descriptive cross-sectional study. Demographic information including age, gender, parental educational level, and frequency of tooth brushing was obtained from the participants; DMFT index was recorded after careful oral examination. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent samples t-test, and chi-square test.
RESULTS: In this study, the ratio of girls to boys was 1:1. The overall mean of DMFT was 4.70 ± 3.16, with no significant difference regarding the gender. However, different age ranges presented significant fluctuation in the mean of DMFT value with the significantly highest value observed in 9-year-old and the lowest in 10-year-old students. Moreover, 8.92% of the participants were caries-free (CF), with a significant dominance of girls. The significantly higher CF index was observed in 7-year-old students as compared to the other ages. However, daily tooth brushing or parental educational level showed no significant correlation with DMFT or CF indices.
CONCLUSION: Due to the high prevalence of DMFT reported in this study, a comprehensive plan should be developed to promote children’s oral health. This issue reinforces the need for preventive programs in general policies of the county.
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