Dental caries in the first permanent molars in school children

Abstract

Background: in school age, the tooth most affected by dental caries is the first permanent molar, and the caries prevalence in them is associated to the future caries activity. Due to its eruption without the exfoliation of primary elements, mothers do not know that this is a permanent tooth. Its partial or total destruction affects the maxillofacial growth and development and leads to malocclusion.
Aims: describing the damage due to dental caries in the first permanent molars in school children, and also their mothers’ knowledge on them.
Material and methods: we carried out a cross-sectional, descriptive, observational study in the Primary School Maximo Gómez, of Alamar, in February 2013. Buccal exam was made to 211 schoolchildren, recording the healthy, carious, restored and lost first permanent molars. Mothers were interviewed to identify their knowledge on the first permanent molar.
Results: 40,3 % of the sample had at least one permanent molar damaged. The frequency was, in male schoolchildren, 50,6 %, and at the age of 11 years, 28,2 %. The carious-obstructed-lost dental index in the 26 and 46 teeth was an average of 0,81 and 81 % respectively. Mothers’ lack of knowledge was 64,3 % of the total.
Conclusions: almost half of the sample had at least one permanent molar damaged by dental caries and the most frequent age is 11 years. There are not differences according to de gender. The highest existence of dental caries is in 26 and 46 molars. Most of the mothers do not know about the first permanent molar.