Oral Health Status, Knowledge, and Practices in an Amish Population

This study was conducted in the summer of 1985 to assess the oral health status, knowledge, and practices of an Amish population in southwest Michigan. Dental caries experience, periodontal health, and oral hygiene status were recorded using decayed, missing, and filled surfaces (DMFS), periodontal index (PI), and simplified oral hygiene index (OHI-S). Data on oral health knowledge and practices were collected by interviews using a structured questionnaire. Results showed significantly lower levels of disease among Amish. DMFS scores for 5-17-year-old Amish children were almost half that of the US general population (NIDR 1979-80). PI score of all ages combined was 2.0, which was 3.6 times lower than a national sample (1971-74). Lower levels of disease in Amish could be related to their way of life and dietary patterns. A relatively higher level of unmet need for prosthodontic care, inadequate oral health knowledge, and barriers to dental care in the study population emphasize the need for dental public health and health education programs.