Evaluation of the Relationship between Oral Care Practices, Food Consumption and DMFT Index in Young Adults

Objective: Dental caries is an important public health problem that affects the majority of the world's population. In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the relationship between oral care practices, food consumption and DMFT index in young adults. Material and Methods: The general characteristics of individuals, oral care practices, anthropometric measurements and food consumption frequencies were questioned with the questionnaire form. The DMFT index was calculated by questioning the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth of the individuals. Results: The mean DMFT index of females was 2.5±1.6, and the mean of DMFT index of males was 2.0±1.6, and a significant difference was determined between the genders in terms of mean DMFT index (p<0.05). According to linear regression analysis, age, gender, frequency of tooth brushing, having a dental examination and smoking status were effective on DMFT index (R2=0.098; p<0.001). A positive statistically significant correlation was found between the frequency of consumption of cariogenic foods such as honey, jam, molasses, pastry desserts, sugar added tea/coffee, fruit juices, acidic beverages, alcoholic beverages and packaged foods and the DMFT index (p<0.05). Conclusion: Nutritional habits are as important as oral care practices in the prevention of dental caries.