Abstract:

Aim: Oral and dental health is affected by many factors such as general health status, socioeconomic status.The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of socioeconomic status on DMFT and oral hygiene habits of patients. Material and Method: 400 patients who applied to Dicle University Faculty of Dentistry Department of Restorative Dentistry for dental treatments were asked to fill in a questionnaire to reflect their oral hygiene habits along with their descriptive information and socioeconomic status. Clinical and radiological examinations of the patients were made, and the value of the DMFT index was determined for each patient. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann Whitney U and Chi-Square tests. Results: According to our study, the education status, monthly income and frequency of tooth brushing affect the DMFT index value statistically significantly (p <0.05). Although 69.6% of those participating in the study are young people aged 35 and under, 46.3% do not work at any job; 84.2% of them can reach a monthly income of 4001 TL or less per month. In addition, 65.8% of the people participating in the survey think that their economic status affects oral and dental health. Those with the lowest monthly income have the highest DMFT confirms the opinion of the participants. Conclusion: Based on the results of our study, in which we found that the disadvantaged socioeconomic situation had a negative impact on oral and dental health, we think that this situation can be improved with social state practices such as fluoride prophylaxis, distribution of oral hygiene equipment.

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