Determination of DMFT index among 7-11 year-old students and its relation with fluoride in Shiraz drinking water in Iran

Objective: the main source of receiving fluoride to prevent dental carries is by adding fluoride to water. the aim of this research was to determine dmft index in 7-11 year-old students and its relation with fluoride concentration in drinking water in shiraz in 2010. methodology: this research involved 760 students to measure the dmft index in the four educational districts. seventy-five water samples were taken in the study area to determine their fluoride concentration by spadenz method using dr-5000u spectrophotometer. to determine dmft, schools were chosen by cluster sampling and students and their grade were randomly selected and examined by a dental hygienist. results: the mean fluoride concentration in shiraz drinking water is 0.69 mgl-1. the maximum dmft index belonged to the fourth district (1.35) and the minimum belonged to the first district (0.47). the mean dmft index was 0.935. the dmft index was the same for the girls and boys in the 4 districts (0.93). there was no significant correlation between the dmft and different age groups (p>0.05). the maximum m (missing) teeth belong to 8 year-age student (2.42). conclusion: the mean dmft index in the current study was less than the index obtained in many other cities in the country. although dmft index were similar for boys and girls in this study, other studies have showed that the index was higher for girls. the mean fluorine concentration in shiraz drinking water was below the standard level.