Indices of Dental Caries Morbidity
Assessment of dental health is performed using indicators of dental morbidity.
Dental health status is expressed by:
Prevalence of disease
Intensity of disease
Two main groups of indicators:
Indicators of dental caries
Indicators of periodontal status
Caries Prevalence (Spread)
Shows the percentage of persons, teeth or tooth surfaces affected by caries.
Types:
Ep = prevalence among persons
Et = prevalence among teeth
Es = prevalence among tooth surfaces
Formulae:
Ep = P(DMF) / P × 100
Et = T(DMF) / T × 100
Es = S(DMF) / S × 100
Where:
- P(DMF) = persons affected by caries
- T(DMF) = teeth affected by caries
- S(DMF) = tooth surfaces affected by caries
- P = total persons examined
- T = total teeth examined
- S = total tooth surfaces examined
- Indicates how widely caries is distributed within a population.
2. Caries Intensity (DMF Index / Klein Caries Index) Reflects the average number of teeth affected by caries per person.
DMF components:
D = Decayed teeth
M = Missing teeth due to caries
F = Filled teeth
Formula:
DMF = D + M + F
Intensity formula:
I = DMF / P
Where:
- I = intensity
- P = number of examined persons
- WHO commonly uses DMF in 12-year-old children.
Interpretation (12 years)
- 0–1.1 = Very low
- 1.2–2.6 = Low
- 2.7–4.4 = Moderate
- 4.5–6.4 = High
- ≥ 6.5 = Very high