The DMFT (Decayed, Missing or Filled Teeth) index — which shows the total number of teeth or surfaces that are decayed — stands at six in Iran, said the head of Iranian Dental Association.

Dr. Baqer Shahnizadeh told Iran Daily that every Iranian citizen has two missing, two decayed and two filled teeth on average.

According to a research conducted in 2013, tooth decay rate tripled in Iran against the figure for 1981, he said.

This is while, the rate has reached zero in Sweden and Denmark, he pointed out.

Iran’s DMFT, he added, stood at 1.8 in 1981, adding the figure rose to 5.8 in 2013.

Although tooth decay is prevalent in people of all walks of life, the number of missing teeth is higher in deprived regions, while the number of filled teeth is higher among the rich, he said.

In fact, when a person has sufficient financial power, he/she can fill the decayed tooth, but a poor person cannot afford filling decayed tooth, his/her tooth is pulled, he added.

Shahnizadeh said the main cause of tooth decay is eating too much sugar.

Microbes consume the sugar on the tooth surface producing acid which causes tooth decay, he added.

He said the tooth decay rate is higher among children.

When people fail to observe dental hygiene while they have a sweet tooth, tooth decay increases, he pointed out.

“Currently children, aged between six and 14 years, have been covered by dental health plan. The government has allocated funds to cover treatment costs of this age group for training, filling or pulling a tooth and radiotherapy costs.”

However, the plan has not succeeded in improving dental health since the government has prioritized treatment rather than prevention and healthcare, he regretted.

Highlighting that improving dental health demands national determination, he said all walks of the society should undergo oral health training.

On the impact of tooth on the health of the entire body, he said chewing the food is the first stage of digestion. If it is not done properly, he said, digestive problems will arise.

Shahnizadeh continued that those who lose a number of teeth suddenly, may face temporomandibular joint disorders which affects the jaw joint — usually pain or reduced movement of the joint.

On the relation between oral health and heart diseases, he said blood transfers the infection in any stressed or infectious organ to the other parts. Since heart is a sensitive organ, it is more vulnerable, he added.

Currently, specialists believe that gum infections are harmful for the heart and cause cardiovascular diseases, he said.

At present, there are 30,000 dentists across the country, he pointed out.

“In 1981, the country’s population was 40 million and there were 2,500 dentists. This is while the population has increased to 75 million and the number of dentists has grown 10 fold.”

The Seminar of Implant of Iranian Association of General Dentists will be held at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, during Aug. 3-5, he said.

The tree-day event seeks to increase the knowledge of specialists to render better dental services and raise implant success, he concluded.

source:www.iran-daily.com