Evaluation of Oral Health Status Based on DMF Index in Adults Aged 40-70 Years: Findings from Persian Kharameh Cohort Study in Iran

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM: Oral health is one of the most important public health problems. The DMF index is used to assess oral health status. PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate oral health status based on DMF index in adults in Fars province. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This cross-sectional study was performed on 8911 people aged 40 to 70 years under the Kharameh cohort study in 2020. Demographic and oral health factors were collected during interviews and clinical evaluation. T test, ANOVA, and linear regression tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The mean and standard deviation of DMF index was 18.06±8.7in all individuals under study. Multiple linear regression results showed that diabetes (OR=1.1 95%CI: 0.9-1.9 p= 0.0001), smoking (OR=4.4 95%CI: 4-4.9 p= 0.0001) and underweight (OR=2.1 95%CI: 1.1-3.1 p= 0.0001) are the factors affecting the increase in DMF index. Other factors such as high level of education, economic and social class, flossing, and living in a village have been inversely related to the DMF index. CONCLUSION: The results of this study are a warning about the importance of reducing dental costs to increase the level of access of people with low economic and social levels and increase health literacy in relation to oral health.