PREVENTIVE & COMMUNITY DENTISTRY:

CLASSIFICATION OF INDICES,
SIMPLE, CUMULATIVE, AND
SELECTION OF INDEX

Grp 2: Aplod, Ritchil, Yue, Marcayda and Agasaro

CLASSIFICATION OF INDICES
Based upon the direction in which their scores can fluctuate, indices are classified as either
1. Irreversible index
Index that measure conditions that will not
change.
Irreversible index scores, once established
cannot decrease in value on subsequent
examinations.
e.g. an index that measures dental caries.
2. Reversible index
Index that measures conditions that can be
changed.
Reversible index scores can increase or
decrease on subsequent examinations.
= e.g. indices that measure periodontal
conditions.
Depending upon the extent to which areas
of oral cavity are measured.
 INDICES ARE
CLASSIFIED INTO
full mouth
simplified
FULL MOUTH INDICES:
These indices measure the patients entire periodontium or
dentition.

E.g. Russel's periodontal index.

SIMPLIFIED INDICES:
* These indices measure only one representative of
dental instruments.
* Indices can be divided into a number of general
categories according to the entities they measure.
- Disease index
- Symptom Index
- Therapeutic index
 The "D" (decay) part of the DMF index best
illustrates the disease index.
Main symptom indicators of bleeding
gums/gums. The "F" (fill) part of the DMF index is
the best illustration of the therapeutic index. In
general, there are two types of dental indices.

1.The first category measures the number or proportion of the population

with or without a particular condition at a particular point or time.
2.The second type of dental index measures the number of people affected
at a particular time or interval and the severity of a particular condition.
SIMPLE INDEX
Index that measures the presence or
absence of a condition

Example: an index that would measure the

presence dental plaque without an
evaluation of its gingiva.
CUMULATIVE INDEX
Index that measures all the evidence of
a condition, past and present
Example: DMF index for dental caries
SELECTION OF INDEX
* Studies using different indicators should compare general results.
* Indicators should be selected based on their potential to best
evaluate the variable or condition being evaluated.
* The use of indices should not change the methodology or criteria.
* An index that only measures the presence or absence of an entity
may fit the patient's motivated effort.
* When evaluating individual patients it is best to use the total mouth
index when conducting studies with small samples.
* Before using an index in any research project, examiners should
determine its reliability.
THANK YOU!