Oral health status and its determinants in a sample of Iranian adolescents in Qazvin (2010)

Background: There is a vital need to assess the changes in oral health trend and also the preventive strategies in different locations, systematically. This could help to plan for promoting oral health in Iran. Objective: To describe the dental caries status in a sample of Iranian adolescents aged from 14 to 18 years old in Qazvin and to identify the related factors affecting the oral health in this group. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a total of 380 adolescents were randomly selected from high schools in Qazvin. The adolescents agreed to participate and completed a questionnaire. Oral health status was assessed in terms of number of teeth, decayed teeth (DT), filled teeth (FT), and decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT). A multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the statistical association between the DMFT as dependent variable and those of other variables. Findings: Of total participants, 190 were females (50%). The mean age of the adolescents was 15.10 (SD=1.03) years. The mean DMFT was 2.62 (SD=1.89) for all subjects. There was a significant difference between the boys and girls regarding the DMFT as boys had higher DMFT scores than girls. The multivariate regression analyses revealed a significant associations between the high DMFT scores and other variables including: higher age, lower parental education, higher family income, lower frequency of dental brushing and flossing , no history of visiting a dentist, and bad perception of own oral health. Conclusion: Although the dental caries is rather low in this group but it has a major impact on Iranian adolescent’s daily living.