Relationship between DMFT index and number of pregnancies: a cross-sectional study on enrollment phase of the Tabari Cohort Study

People of all age and gender groups are at risk of dental diseases; however, some groups, such as pregnant women, are more vulnerable than others due to their specific physiological situations. The protection of maternal and fetal is critical. Therefore, the present study intended to investigate the relationship between the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index and the number of pregnancies. The present cross-sectional study was performed using the Tabari Cohort Study (T.C.S.) data. Data of 5,496 women enrolled in the T.C.S. were included in the study. After obtaining the approval of the Ethics Committee, the related data on the variables of age, age at the first pregnancy, number of pregnancies, total number of teeth at the time of examination, number of DMFT, employment status, socioeconomic status, educational level, residence location, body mass index, and the status of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases were extracted. Finally, data analysis was performed in the STATA software (version 14). The mean DMFT index in women with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and more than six pregnancies were obtained at 12.74 ± 7.11, 13.09 ± 7.06, 14.80 ± 7.81, 17.07 ± 8.11, 19.82 ± 9.02, 22.89 ± 8.98, and 26.17 ± 8.01, respectively (P