Do enamel and dentine caries at 5 years of age predict caries development in newly erupted teeth? A prospective longitudinal study

Abstract

Objective: To explore caries development in children from 5 to 12 years of age, and to study whether enamel caries and dentine caries at 5 years of age could predict caries prevalence at 12 years of age, controlled for child characteristics. Methods: The study included 3282 children examined at 5 and 12 years of age. Data were collected by clinical examination and questionnaire. Enamel and dentine caries were registered at surface level. Data were tested by t-test and analysed by bi-and multivariate logistic regression. The study was ethically approved. Results: In 5-year-olds, 15% of the children had dentine caries experience and 21% had enamel caries. In 12-year-olds, 32% had dentine caries experience and 47% had enamel caries. Children with dentine caries experience at 5 years of age had at 12 years of age developed more surfaces with enamel caries (mean 2.8, SD 4.2) and dentine caries experience (mean 1.8, SD 2.5) than other children (p < .05). Dentine caries experience at 12 years of age was associated with having only enamel caries (OR 1.6, CI 1.2-2.0) and dentine caries experience (OR 3.2, CI 2.6-3.9) at 5 years of age. Family status and parental education were related to caries development. Conclusion: Children with caries in primary teeth continued to be caries risk children during the mixed dentition period. In addition to dentine caries experience, enamel caries in primary teeth was a predictor for caries development in young permanent teeth and may be used to improve the caries risk assessment.

Does Early Childhood Caries Increase Caries Development among School Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…A total of 32 articles were retrieved for full text reading and evaluation. Ten articles were found to be eligible and included for qualitative synthesis [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ] (Kappa κ: 0.899). The list of excluded studies and the reasons for exclusion are shown in Supplementary Material File S2 .…”

“…Nine prospective and one retrospective studies were included, with 7580 children ranging from 1.5 years old to 5 years old at baseline with primary dentition, and followed up until 6 to 14 years old in mixed dentition [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. The duration of follow-up ranged from 3 to 12 years with 6786 subjects.…”

“…Although primary teeth would be replaced by permanent successors, ECC was suggested to be a potential risk factor for caries in permanent dentition [ 7 ]. Many epidemiological studies have suggested increased incidence and severity of caries in the permanent teeth among schoolchildren, adolescents and adults with a known history of ECC [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. The potential explanations include the high prevalence of cariogenic bacteria in the primary dentition may have a spillover effect on the newly erupted teeth [ 11 , 12 ].…”

Tooth-Specific Streptococcus mutans Distribution and Associated Microbiome

“…In children, the oral cavity is a dynamic environment with several transitions between the various dentition stages (primary, mixed, and permanent) [5]. Oral health or disease between these stages are strongly correlated, as caries experience in primary teeth often influences the caries outcome in permanent dentition [6]. The caries experience in primary posterior teeth has been established as a reliable predictor for the subsequent decay Microorganisms 2022, 10, 1129 2 of 12 in permanent dentition [7,8].…”

The use of silver diamine fluoride in a children's hospital: Critical analysis and action protocol

“…ECC is considered severe when it affects children under 3 years of age (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2019a ). ECC is one of the most prevalent health problems worldwide; it affects more than 500 million children and entails the risk of suffering multiple episodes of pain and oral infections, and may even affect permanent dentition (GBD 2015 Disease and Injury Incidence and Prevalent Collaborators, 2016 ; Kassebaum et al, 2017 ; Li & Wang, 2002 ; Saethre‐Sundli et al, 2020 ). Patient cooperation at these early ages may be poor, and the difficulty of managing these patients generates an increase in the demand for care at the hospital level (American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, 2019b ).…”