Abstract
AIM: This was to investigate caries experience and patterns in a sample of 5-year-old children attending nursery schools in the Veneto Region (Italy). STUDY DESIGN: Cross sectional study. METHODS: The study was carried out between September 2005 and May 2006 with 348 randomly selected 5-year-old children. Two calibrated dentists using an artificial light, a plane dental mirror and a dental probe performed clinical dental examination. World Health Organisation (WHO) diagnostic criteria for dental caries: dmft, dmfs and SiC indexes were used to measure the severity of the disease. STATISTICS: dmfs scores were analysed either as a continuous continuous (calculating means and standard deviations) or as a categorical variable (providing proportions). Pearson’s chi square test for comparison between groups and Wilcoxon signed-rank test for distribution of dmfs scores between pairs of contiguous molars were used. RESULTS: The most commonly affected teeth were primary molars, (78% of the overall sample), especially in the mandible. The surfaces of molars most often affected were the occlusal (52%). Proximal surfaces were affected more in first than in second primary molars. Dental caries occurred most often in the maxilla. The frequency of caries in anterior teeth was low (12%). CONCLUSIONS: Caries experience in the primary dentition showed a symmetrical distribution localized on primary molars, most often in their occlusal surface. Caries in anterior teeth was uncommon.
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Ferro, R., Besostri, A. & Olivieri, A. Caries prevalence and tooth surface distribution in a group of 5-year-old Italian children. Eur Arch Paediatr Dent 10, 33–37 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03262665
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03262665