Tooth Decay and Some Relevant Factors in Adolescents

Oral and dental health is one of the important factors that contribute to general health. It is necessary to monitor the DMFT index (decayed, missing and filled teeth) regularly to examine the state of oral health and monitor dental health interventions by formulating policies and programmes related to this field. The main question of this study was, what are the most important factors related to the DMFT index? Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the DMFT index and some relevant factors in adolescents.

The present cross-sectional study was conducted in 2020, and 1105 students aged 12-18 years (a representative sample of the province) were selected from three big cities (Yasuj, Gachsaran and Dehdasht) of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province in the Southern region of Iran using stratified random sampling. Dental health status was evaluated by a dentist using the DMFT index. The participants' anxiety levels were also measured using the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The collected data were analysed using SPSS25, independent t-tests, analysis of variance and the neural network.

The mean ± standard deviation of the participant's age was 15.93 ± 1.81 years (range 12-18). A total of 560 (50.70%) of the participants were female and 545 (49.30%) were male. The mean ± standard deviations of decayed, missing and filled teeth were 1.77 ± 1.84, 0.62 ± 1.20 and 1.24 ± 1.68, respectively. The mean and standard deviation of the DMFT index were 3.64 and 3.05 respectively. The DMFT index was significantly higher in adolescents who used sugary snacks, in students with high anxiety and students who smoked (p < 0.01). In addition, the DMFT index was significantly lower in people who brushed twice or more a day, people who used mouthwash and people who had a history of fluoride varnish and fissure sealant (p < 0.01). The DMFT mean ± standard deviation of males and females were 3.74 ± 2.98 and 3.53 ± 3.12, respectively. The DMFT mean was not significantly associated with participants' gender (p > 0.05). There was a direct and significant correlation between the mean age and the DMFT index (p < 0.01). According to the neural network analysis, the most important factors related to DMFT were tooth brushing, smoking, fissure sealants, anxiety, sugary snacks and fluoride varnish therapy, respectively.

The mean DMFT index was 3.64. Tooth brushing, smoking, fissure sealants, anxiety, sugary snack and fluoride varnish therapy should be considered. Therefore, it is necessary to implement programmes to improve oral health in adolescents, such as daily teeth brushing, not smoking, performing fissure sealants and fluoride varnish at a younger age, and teaching anxiety coping skills.