Method: One hundred and eighty four battered women and children residents of eleven shelters around Israel participated in this survey. The women filled a questionnaire and both them and their children were clinically examined for their DMFT, deft and dental trauma. This examination was visual, using a dental mirror and a light source.
Results: The DMFT for the women was 6.66, of which D was 2.01, M was 1.84, and F was 2.80. 15% of these women suffered from dental trauma. Women with higher index of decayed teeth significantly presented more traumatized teeth. The deft for the children at the age of 5 was 2.33, and the DMFT for the children at the age of 12 was 2.00. 15.6% of the children suffered from dental trauma.
Conclusions: Most of the mothers and more than half of the children need dental treatment for decayed and traumatized teeth.