A treatment need index: a pilot study

The traditional caries index, DMF, provides inadequate information to assess dental treatment needs of a community. Dental health planners are often called upon to estimate the treatment needs, costs, time and personnel required for a proposed programme. A treatment needs index (TNI) is presented which provides important data for dental health planning. The index defines seven basic levels of treatment: (0) no treatment needed; (1) preventive treatment; (2) fissure sealants; (3) initial conservative restorations; (4) moderate conservative restorations; (5) advanced conservative restorations; and (6) radical treatment, including pulp therapy, prosthetic restorations and extractions. A pilot study and an example comparing data of both DMF and TNI demonstrates the values of the latter index. The Treatment Needs Index provides a more accurate description of caries severity and extent than does the traditional DMF index, and can be used to estimate the time required to treat a community.