Assessment of DMFT and its influencing factors in guidance school students in Pirnshahr city, Iran

DMFT index is one of the best dental epidemiological indices, which represent the oral health status of the population and has been accepted by authorities and international organizations such as the World Health Organization. The aim of this study was to assess the permanent teeth DMFT index in guidance school students to determine the influencing factors such as brushing, tea and sugar consumption , number and type of snacks, parents education status, family member number, economic situation and visiting the dentist status. In this descriptive, cross-sectional study, 320 student girls from guidance school (12 years old) were randomly selected in Piranshahr city. Their health information was obtained by referring to their health files to determine DMFT. For some related factors to the index a questionnaire was designed by researcher and completed by the students. The data was statistically analyzed using independent T-test and ANOVA. The mean DMFT in the students was 2.53 ± 2.28. The frequency of brushing, snack consumption, visiting the dentist, family economic status had significant correlation with the DMFT index (P<0.05). The daily tea drinking, sugar consumption, number of family members, parents education level had no significant correlation with the index (P>0.05). The average of DMFT in Piranshahr guidance school students is higher than World Health Organization standards; thus, to improve the present situation, it is necessary to design a proper plan. More attention to families dental and oral health is necessary via mass media, heath service centers and health teachers in schools.