Focus on Dental Health

The DMFT (decayed, missing, or filled teeth) index for teeth among children under 12 in Iran is on the rise, said Kazem Khosravi, member of the Iranian Academy of Cosmetic and Restorative Dentistry. “The DMFT is 2.9 in children under 12,” he was quoted by Mehr News Agency as saying. Over 80% of the cases are due to bacterial infection as a result of poor oral hygiene. This is to say that each child develops two decayed teeth every six years (or one every three years) from the age of 6 onwards when permanent teeth start to emerge. “As per the indications of the World Health Organization, the number should be reduced to one,” Khosravi said, adding that 6.5 million out of 7.5 million students were covered under the fluoride therapy programs in schools during the past academic year.