Process / pipelineCaries assessment
DMFT Index
The DMFT (Decayed, Missing due to caries, Filled) Index is a standardized epidemiological measure of dental caries experience in permanent dentition. Developed by Klein, Palmer, and Knutson in 1938, it quantifies the number of permanent teeth that are decayed, missing due to caries, or filled due to caries. The DMFT Index remains the most widely used caries index globally, enabling comparison of oral health across populations and tracking disease burden over time.
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Sources
- Klein, H., Palmer, C. E., & Knutson, J. W. (1938). Studies on dental caries: I. Dental status and dental needs of elementary school children. Public Health Reports, 53(32), 1259-1274. DOI: 10.2307/4582161 ↗
- World Health Organization. (2013). Oral health surveys: Basic methods (5th ed.). WHO. link ↗
- Pitts, N. B., Zero, D. T., Marsh, P. D., et al. (2017). Dental caries. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, 3, 17030. DOI: 10.1038/nrdp.2017.30 ↗