Evaluation of Oral Hygiene and Related Oral Health Behaviors among Students Studying Science in Meshgin City

Governments and health related professionals have approved the importance of social determinants in many countries. Oral hygiene is one of the most important subjects which is attracted the attention of the individuals, families, government and health organization and policy makers. Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) indicator is one of the most epidemiologic indexes in dentistry indicating the situation of oral and dental health among people of a community. The present study was conducted to evaluate association between the dmft index and oral hygiene situation and related healthcare behaviors among Iranian students studying science in Meshgin city. In this cross-sectional study, 303 students in Meshgin city were randomly selected. Research instrument was self-administered questionnaire to collect information about demography, filled-decayed-missed tooth, quality and quantity of health behaviors, diet, smoking and using alcoholic beverage, irregular attendance to dentist. Collected data were analyzed using SPSS version 17. the DMFT mean among student of Meshgin city was measured 3.87±3.40, which was different between boys and girls; 3.51±3.31 and 4.13±3.45 in boys and girls respectively but not significant. This index was lower than that reported by WHO. Approximately 60 percent of students were brushing their tooth daily. There was also a significant association between DMFT and quantity of brushing and last dentist visit (p<0.05). By considering WHO goal until 2015 (DMFT<1), dentistry services and prevention program need to be considered seriously. Regular brushing and general coverage of insurance for basic dental services can have a positive impact on DMFT in the community.