Relationship between the Increased Number of DMF Teeth and Oral Health Behavior among Senior High School Students

Abstract

 There have been many reports on the incidence of dental caries in infants, elementary school students, and junior high school students; however, few longitudinal studies have been carried out among senior high school students. This 2-year prospective cohort study was conducted to investigate factors associated with dental caries incidence in senior high school students. The participants were students who received a dental health checkup at a private senior high school in April 2016 (baseline) and April 2018 (follow-up) in Okayama City. An oral examination and questionnaire survey were conducted. We evaluated the relationship between an increased number of decayed, missing and filled (DMF) teeth during the 2-year period and oral health behaviors using logistic regression analysis. A total of 160 participants were analyzed [62 males, 98 females; age (mean ± standard deviation): 15.0 ± 0.24 years]. The DMFT score (mean ± standard deviation) at the baseline was 0.86 ± 1.75. Seventy-two participants (45.0%) had an increased number of DMF teeth at the follow-up compared with the baseline. Logistic regression analysis showed that an increased number of DMF teeth was significantly correlated with a number of DMF teeth ≥ 1 at the baseline, no fluoride toothpaste use, preference for a sugar-free diet, and visiting a dental clinic for oral care in the past year (p<0.05). In conclusion, our findings suggest that fluoride toothpaste use may reduce dental caries incidence in senior high school students.