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Oral epidemiology is the study of health and disease in populations, and how these states are influenced by heredity, biology, physical environment, social environment, and ways of living. To study disease, it must be measured, or quantified. These measurements are useful in studying disease trends of the past, present, and future. In epidemiology, indices provide one of the methods that measure dental caries and periodontal diseases. These indexes are crucial in determining risk assessment and educating at-risk populations for the prevention of dental disease. Other dental indexes measure fluorosis, malocclusion, oral cancer, and cleft lip/palate. Following is a list, description, and application of each measurement used in oral epidemiology.

Burt, Brian A., and Stephen A. Eklund. Dentistry, Dental Practice, and the Community. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier/Saunders, 2005. Print.