Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universities

Background: DMFT is used to denote decayed, missing and filled teeth. The DMFT index is the universally employed index for measuring dental caries status. Dental caries is the most common oral disease affecting all age groups and a major cause of tooth loss. A fundamental purpose of dental educatio...

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Main Authors: Igbinosa LO, Ogbeide ME
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State Branch 2020-12-01
Series:Ibom Medical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://ibommedicaljournal.org/index.php/imjhome/article/view/200
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author Igbinosa LO
Ogbeide ME
author_facet Igbinosa LO
Ogbeide ME
author_sort Igbinosa LO
collection DOAJ
description Background: DMFT is used to denote decayed, missing and filled teeth. The DMFT index is the universally employed index for measuring dental caries status. Dental caries is the most common oral disease affecting all age groups and a major cause of tooth loss. A fundamental purpose of dental education is to develop health professionals who will maintain and improve the oral health status of individuals and populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of dental education on the occurrence of DMFT among undergraduate dental students in Nigeria. Materials and Method: The study was a cross-sectional survey involving the use of a multi-stage sampling technique to select 812 undergraduate dental students from six institutions. Structured questionnaires were designed in two sections (A and B). Section A on socio-demographic data was self-administered and section B on oral examination was interviewer-administered. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test at 5% level of significance. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 22.0±3.0 years. The overall prevalence of dental caries among the participants was 24%. The median DMFT score was 0.0 and the range was 0.0 – 8.0. The decayed component of the DMFT decreased significantly from 22.4% in 100 level to 7.2% in 600 level (p<0.0001) and the filled component increased significantly from 2.5% in 100 level to 13.1% in 600 level (p<0.018). Conclusion: Dental education had a positive influence on dental caries status of the subjects.
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spelling doaj.art-aaca73f03e274e458ffbf07b59a3c71a2024-03-06T12:03:46ZengNigerian Medical Association, Akwa Ibom State BranchIbom Medical Journal1597-71882735-99642020-12-0113310.61386/imj.v13i3.200Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universitiesIgbinosa LOOgbeide ME Background: DMFT is used to denote decayed, missing and filled teeth. The DMFT index is the universally employed index for measuring dental caries status. Dental caries is the most common oral disease affecting all age groups and a major cause of tooth loss. A fundamental purpose of dental education is to develop health professionals who will maintain and improve the oral health status of individuals and populations. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of dental education on the occurrence of DMFT among undergraduate dental students in Nigeria. Materials and Method: The study was a cross-sectional survey involving the use of a multi-stage sampling technique to select 812 undergraduate dental students from six institutions. Structured questionnaires were designed in two sections (A and B). Section A on socio-demographic data was self-administered and section B on oral examination was interviewer-administered. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test at 5% level of significance. Results: The mean age of the respondents was 22.0±3.0 years. The overall prevalence of dental caries among the participants was 24%. The median DMFT score was 0.0 and the range was 0.0 – 8.0. The decayed component of the DMFT decreased significantly from 22.4% in 100 level to 7.2% in 600 level (p<0.0001) and the filled component increased significantly from 2.5% in 100 level to 13.1% in 600 level (p<0.018). Conclusion: Dental education had a positive influence on dental caries status of the subjects. https://ibommedicaljournal.org/index.php/imjhome/article/view/200ImpactDental educationDMFT IndexDental students
spellingShingle Igbinosa LO
Ogbeide ME
Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universities
Ibom Medical Journal
Impact
Dental education
DMFT Index
Dental students
title Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universities
title_full Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universities
title_fullStr Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universities
title_full_unstemmed Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universities
title_short Impact of dental education on DMFT index among undergraduate dental students in selected Nigerian universities
title_sort impact of dental education on dmft index among undergraduate dental students in selected nigerian universities
topic Impact
Dental education
DMFT Index
Dental students
url https://ibommedicaljournal.org/index.php/imjhome/article/view/200
work_keys_str_mv AT igbinosalo impactofdentaleducationondmftindexamongundergraduatedentalstudentsinselectednigerianuniversities
AT ogbeideme impactofdentaleducationondmftindexamongundergraduatedentalstudentsinselectednigerianuniversities