ABSTRACT
A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery of Fatima Jinnah Dental College, Karachi to find out the factors responsible for premature loss of deciduous molars in children aged three to nine years. All children aged 3 - 9 years visiting the Dental OPD of Fatima Jinnah Dental College Karachi for extraction of deciduous molars from Feb 2011 to Feb 2012 were included in the study. 256 children format the study group. The data were collected on a predesigned Proforma filled by a single operator. Parameters taken into consideration were age, sex, tooth brushing and reasons for extraction. In this study 176 were male and 80 female. Overall 368 deciduous molars were extracted, 237 deciduous molars were extracted in males and 131 in females. Among the investigated subjects, 17% of children reported no tooth-brushing. Caries was the commonest cause of premature loss of deciduous molars accounted for 96.1% followed by tooth fracture 2.3% and malocclusion 1.6%. The frequency of only one deciduous molar loss was 67.2%. Maximum deciduous molar loss 50.7% was observed in children aged 8 years. Most commonly extracted tooth was mandibular left first deciduous molar [37.7%]. Results of this study suggested that improper tooth-brushing dental caries and no-treatment of carious deciduous molars were major risk factors in its early loss