Index & DMFT

What is an index in epidemiology?

• • A method to track patient appointments

• • A statistical measure for evaluating health status

• • A tool for financial analysis

• • A medical diagnostic tool

Which of the following is NOT an ideal requisite of an index?

• • Simplicity

• • Sensitivity

• • Irrelevance

• • Validity

Why is simplicity important for an index?

• • Ensures complex data analysis

• • Facilitates ease of use and understanding

• • Increases the cost of implementation

• • Enhances the accuracy of the index

An ideal index should be sensitive. What does this imply?

• • It can detect small changes in the health status

• • It is complicated to understand

• • It is immune to changes

• • It requires advanced technology

Indices can be classified based on their nature. Which of the following is a qualitative index?

• • Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S)

• • DMFT Index

• • Plaque Index

• • Gingival Index (GI)

What is the primary use of an epidemiological index?

• • Diagnosing individual patients

• • Measuring clinical outcomes

• • Assessing and monitoring population health

• • Calculating financial health

How is the DMFT index calculated?

• • By counting only the decayed teeth

• • By summing up the number of decayed, missing, and filled teeth

• • By multiplying the number of missing and filled teeth

• • By averaging the number of teeth

Which age group is primarily targeted when assessing DMFT index?

• • Children under 5 years

• • Adults over 40 years

• • Adolescents and adults

• • Elderly over 70 years

What is a limitation of the DMFT index?

• a)

• b)

• c)

• d)

• • It cannot be used in large populations

• • It does not account for the severity of dental caries

• • It is too complex to use

• • It requires advanced diagnostic tools

Why is the DMFT index important in public health dentistry?

• • It helps in the identification of systemic diseases

• • It provides data for dental treatment needs and planning

• • It predicts financial expenditures in dental clinics

• • It assesses orthodontic treatment outcomes