An evaluation of Knutson's formula for estimating age-specific DMF teeth.

The present study evaluated a formula suggested by Knutson for obtaining an age-specific estimate of mean DMFT in a population on the basis of the age-specific percentage of individuals with 1 or more DMFT. A total of 149 previously collected age-specific data sets from low-flouride areas in the U.S.A. were used, and the two parameters K and B were estimated using the method of weighted least squares. The analysis showed that the formula could be used with good accuracy for certain restrictions of age (5--11 years) and percentage of individuals with 1 or more DMFT (less than or equal to 70%).