We determine the relationship between premature loss of primary teeth and oral hygiene, consumption of soft drinks, dental care and previous caries experience. This study focused on 833 Mexican schoolchildren aged 6–7. We performed an oral examination to determine caries experience and the simplified oral hygiene index. The dependent variable was the prevalence of at least one missing tooth (or indicated for extraction) of the primary dentition; this variable was coded as 0 = no loss of teeth and 1 = at least one lost primary tooth. The prevalence of at least one missing tooth was 24.7% (n = 206) (95% CI = 21.8–27.7). The variables that were associated with the prevalence of tooth loss (p < 0.05) included: the largest number of decayed teeth (OR = 1.11), the largest number of filled teeth (OR = 1.23), the worst oral hygiene (OR = 3.24), a lower frequency of brushing (OR = 1.60), an increased consumption of soda (OR = 1.89) and use of dental care (curative: OR = 2.83, preventive: OR = 1.93). This study suggests that the premature loss of teeth in the primary dentition is associated with oral hygiene, consumption of soft drinks, dental care and previous caries experience in Mexican schoolchildren. These data provide relevant information for the design of preventive dentistry programs.
To determine the treatment needs and the care index for dental caries in the primary dentition and permanent dentition of schoolchildren and to quantify the cost of care that would represent the treatment of dental caries in Mexico.
A secondary analysis of data from the First National Caries Survey was conducted, which was a cross-sectional study conducted in the 32 states of Mexico. Based on dmft (average number of decayed, extracted, and filled teeth in the primary dentition) and DMFT (average number of decayed, extracted, and filled teeth in permanent dentition) information, a treatment needs index (TNI) and a caries care index (CI) were calculated.
At age 6
, the TNI for the primary dentition ranged from 81.7% to 99.5% and the CI ranged from 0.5% to 17.6%. In the permanent dentition, the TNI ranged from 58.8% to 100%, and the CI ranged from 0.0% to 41.2%.
At age 12
, the TNI ranged from 55.4% to 93.4%, and the CI ranged from 6.5% to 43.4%.
At age 15
, the TNI ranged from 50.4% to 98.4%, and the CI ranged from 1.4% to 48.3%. The total cost of treatment at 6 years of age was estimated to range from a purchasing power parity (PPP) of USD $49.1 to 287.7 million in the primary dentition, and from a PPP of USD $3.7 to 24 million in the permanent dentition. For the treatment of the permanent dentition of 12-year-olds, the PPP ranged from USD $13.3 to 85.4 million. The estimated cost of treatment of the permanent dentition of the 15-year-olds ranged from a PPP of USD $10.9 to 70.3 million. The total estimated cost of caries treatment ranged from a PPP of USD $77.1 to 499.6 million, depending on the type of treatment and provider (public or private).
High percentages of TNI for dental caries and low CI values were observed. The estimated costs associated with the treatment for caries have an impact because they represent a considerable percentage of the total health expenditure in Mexico.
We observed high rates of treatment needs for dental caries and little experience of restorative treatment. While dental extractions due to advanced caries should ideally be zero, relatively few adolescents had this treatment experience. Despite the fact that the overall background of these adolescents is rather homogeneous, it was still possible to find that treatment needs' indices (past and present needs) appeared to be modified by sociodemographic and socio-economic variables.
Dental caries—a highly prevalent public health problem in preschoolers and school children—is the main cause of premature dental loss during childhood, and this may be related to loss of space in the posterior sector. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether interproximal caries and premature tooth loss (D and/or E) are risk factors for loss of space in the posterior sector.A comparative cross-sectional study (split-mouth type) was performed in schoolchildren (6–8 years old). Seventeen gypsum models were evaluated. These children presented with unilateral loss of a dental organ or interproximal caries (teeth D and/or E) and without such affectations on the other side. Measurements were made with a digital Vernier caliper. The dependent variable was the difference (loss of space, mm) between the control and case sides. The independent variables were type of affectation (interproximal caries or tooth loss), sex, age, arcade, and number of interproximal surfaces affected.The mean age was 6.82 ± 0.44 years and 64.7% were boys. The average space loss was 1.09 ± 0.18 mm (control vs case; P < .0001). A greater loss of space was observed among those who lost a dental organ than those with interproximal caries (P = .0119). A correlation was observed between the variable loss of space and the number of interproximal surfaces affected (r = 0.5712, P = .0166).Interproximal caries and tooth loss were risk factors for loss of space in the posterior segment in this sample of Mexican schoolchildren.
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