Presentation of DMFT/dmft Index in Croatia and Europe.
BACKGROUND
Dental caries is the most common oral disease affecting all age groups and a major cause of tooth loss. Although a decrease in the prevalence of dental caries has been marked across the globe, in many countries it has remained a major oral-health problem.


OBJECTIVE
The objective of this paper was to show the trends in the DMFT/dmft index ​​in Croatia, compare it with European countries and present further courses of action oriented towards promotion of oral health and decrease in caries prevalence.


METHODS
The DMFT index databases have been generated based on online database searches for the period from 1985 to 2015.


RESULTS
Croatia is one of European countries with a high DMFT index relating to 12-year old children (4.18). The experience of countries with a low DMFT index has shown that dental caries can be controlled through education and prevention activities, which eventually lead to diminished financial costs, at individual and national level, improving overall health and quality of life.


CONCLUSIONS
Tracking and monitoring of oral health i.e. dental caries need to be improved in terms of creation of data base systems on the prevalence of dental caries, determining multi-factorial causes of its occurrence and with respect to the implementation of national oral-health prevention programs.
- Croatian Institute of Public Health.
Marijana
M
Radić
- Croatian Institute of Public Health.
Tomislav
T
Benjak
- Croatian Institute of Public Health.
Vlasta Dečković
VD
Vukres
- Ministry of Health.
Željko
Ž
Rotim
- School of Dental Medicine University of Zagreb.
Irina Filipović
IF
Zore
Croatia; DMFT index; Europe; creating databases; dental caries
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2000 Apr;28(2):126-32
10730721
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2000 Apr;28(2):155-60
10730725
Coll Antropol. 2000 Jul;24 Suppl 1:21-4
10946460
Acta Odontol Scand. 2000 Aug;58(4):143-7
11045366
Br Dent J. 2001 Jun 9;190(11):580-4
11441895
Int Dent J. 2003 Oct;53(5):285-8
14560802
Caries Res. 2004 May-Jun;38(3):173-81
15153686
Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2004 Oct;32(5):319-21
15341615
Coll Antropol. 2004 Jun;28(1):439-45
15636103
Gerodontology. 2005 Dec;22(4):238-41
16329233
Coll Antropol. 2007 Mar;31(1):321-4
17598418
BMC Public Health. 2008 Oct 21;8:364
18939981
J Dent. 1990 Dec;18(6):291-5
2074302
Cien Saude Colet. 2011 Oct;16(10):4095-106
22031139
Croat Med J. 2011 Dec 15;52(6):665-71
22180264
Braz Oral Res. 2012;26 Suppl 1:108-14
23318752
Cent Eur J Public Health. 2013 Mar;21(1):39-42
23741899
Braz Oral Res. 2013 Jul-Aug;27(4):356-62
23780495
Community Dent Health. 2013 Dec;30(4):204-18
24575523
Coll Antropol. 2014 Mar;38(1):261-7
24851627
BMC Oral Health. 2014 Apr 30;14:43
24885243
Medicina (Kaunas). 2014;50(3):156-61
25323543
Acta Stomatol Croat. 2015 Jun;49(2):92-103
27688391
Acta Stomatol Croat. 1988;22(3):195-202
3273844
J R Soc Med. 1986;79 Suppl 14:15-7
3543353
Int Dent J. 1982 Mar;32(1):74-7
6951815
Soc Sci Med. 1997 Jan;44(2):269-72
9015879