The Association Between Applying Sodium Fluoride Mouthwash and Decayed Missed Filled Teeth (DMFT) Index in Elementary Students of Charharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, Iran

Regular use of fluoride makes the teeth stronger against cavities. In this regard, using sodium fluoride mouthwash is taken as a countrywide program for elementary students so as to protect their teeth against caries. This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between use of sodium fluoride mouthwash by elementary students in Charharmahal and Bakhtiari province, Iran, and decayed missed filled teeth (DMFT) index. In the present study, 472 students were selected based on multi-stage cluster and random sampling. Then, the students were monitored for the DMFT index, Fluorosis, and gingivitis. Additionally, the data were compared using Chi-square test. The results showed that the average DMFT (for permanent teeth) and dmft (for milky teeth) for nineand twelve-year-old students, who lived in urban areas were 2.66± 0.9 and 2.64±0.1, respectively. In addition, the corresponding averages for the students in the same age groups who lived in rural areas were 2.80±0.1 and 2.88±0.09, respectively (p <0.05). According to the results, it can be conceived that using sodium fluoride mouthwash could not meet the program’s expectations of enhancing oral health. Hence, the authors suggest that it would be more beneficial if children started to use mouthwash from kindergarten.