Which two epidemiological measures serve as indices of caries prevalence?

• A. DMFT and DMFS
• B. DMFT and DMH
• C. DMFS and DMT
• D. DMH and DFS

Answer: (A)

These measures track how much caries has affected a population by counting the units that have experienced caries. They combine decayed, missing due to caries, and filled teeth or surfaces to reflect an individual’s caries experience. When you look at a group, the average of these values tells you how widespread caries experience is in that population.

Why this approach works well: counting the components D, M, and F (for teeth) or D, M, and F (for surfaces) captures both current disease (decayed) and past disease that has been treated or left as missing due to caries. This gives a stable, comparable measure of how much caries has affected people over time, which is why these indices are used as prevalence or burden indicators in epidemiology.

Other options may omit a component or use nonstandard measures, so they don’t provide the same comprehensive view of caries experience across individuals and populations.