An evaluation of the average DMF in hemodialyzed patients

Statement of Problem: Rapid increases in the population of hemodialyzed patients induce the dentists to acquire a complete understanding of the special therapeutic considerations for such patients. The goal of this research was to study the amount of DMF in hemodialyzed patients, age ranging from 12-20 years, in the city of Tehran. In this cross- sectional and analytic- descriptive research, 50 kidney patients (27 mail and 23 females), with the age range of 12-20 years were selected. They had referred to one of the following hospitals for hemodialysis: Imam Khomeini, Children Medical Center Fayyazbakhsh, Haft-e-Tir, Ashrafi Esfahani, Labafinejad and Hasheminejad. The data, based on clinical examination, patient's answers, patient's medical files, parents replies, were collected and analyzed by Chi- Square test. The average DMF, for. patients under study was 2.46, comparing to the normal subjects of the society, no significant difference was observed. Factors such as sex, Mother's education, oral hygiene and the number of daily brushing did not show any statistically significant difference about this index. The results also showed a 38% prevalence of severe gingivitis and 32% of moderate gingivitis. This restricted study emphasizes the necessity to use proper preventive methods and to improve the patient's and parent's knowledge about oral and dental health.