Status of the first permanent molar in children aged 6 to 11 years

Abstract

Background: the first permanent molars are considered main pillar teeth in the oral cavity. Their precocious lost causes an irreparable damage, given their role as the key of the dental occlusion.
Aim: to evaluate the first permanent molar health status.
Materials and methods: a cross-sectional, descriptive, observational research was carried out in the Primary School “Raul Gómez García,” belonging to Milanes health area of the Clinic “III Congreso del PCC,” municipality of Matanzas, in the period of the school year 2013- 2014. From the universe of 382 children matriculated in the school, via simple randomized screening, there they were chosen 298 children who had in their mouth the four first permanent molars at the moment of the examination. The studied variables were age, gender, damaged surfaces of the first permanent molar, status of the first permanent molar, patients’ affectation, and Clune´s epidemiologic index. Data were registered in charts and the statistical procedure was given in percentages. The informed consent was given by parents and the managing staff of the school.
Outcomes: the most damaged molar surfaces or sides were the occlusal ones because of caries (36.5 %) and because of obturations (28.1 %). From the total of the sample, 208 children had their four first molars free of caries, for 69.8 %. Only 1 child was classified as seriously ill, for 1.8 %.

Conclusions: a high number of children had their first molars free of dental caries and few of them had lost their first permanent molar.