6th German Oral Health Study (DMS • 6): rationale, study design, and baseline characteristics

With the First German Oral Health Study (DMS I) in 1989, the Institut der Deutschen Zahnärzte (IDZ) laid the foundation for a population-representative socioepidemiologic monitoring of oral health and care status in Germany. The objective of the sixth wave of the survey was to update the status of oral health.

The primary questions address cross-sectional data: 1. What are the current prevalence rates of oral diseases? 2. What associations exist between oral health and other participant characteristics? The third question is based on the comparison of cross-sectional data with previous German oral health studies (trend): 3. How has the oral health and care status in Germany developed from 1989 to 2023? The last two questions require longitudinal data: 4. How do oral diseases change over the course of a lifetime? 5. What individual characteristics influence the progression of (new) oral diseases?

The DMS • 6 is a combined cross-sectional and cohort study and therefore classified as an observational study.

The age groups for the cross-sectional study were selected following the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for oral epidemiologic studies. These include 12-year-olds as representatives for younger adolescents, 35- to 44-year-olds for younger adults, and 65- to 74-year-olds for younger seniors. An additional age group of 8- and 9-year-olds (younger children) was included to obtain information on oral health during the mixed dentition phase. In total, 3,377 study participants were included in the analyses for the cross-sectional questions (prevalences). Participant characteristics provide insights into their sociodemographic and behavioral parameters.