ABSTRACT
AIM: Severe early childhood caries (sECC) is a public health problem that continues to affect infants and preschool children worldwide. Knowledge of the changes in dental development is important for paediatric dentists in order to determine a treatment plan. The aim of this study was to investigate dental development in children with sECC, compared to age and gender-matched controls, by calculating the dental age (DA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 300 children (144 females, 156 males) with sECC aged 5 years were studied and compared with 300 control subjects (caries-free), case-matched for gender and age. The dental development was assessed using the DA estimation method of Demirjian et al. [1973], and data were statistically analysed using a 2-sided t test and chi-squared test. RESULTS: The mean differences between the DA and chronological age (CA) in the sECC females and males were 0.67±0.6 years and 0.98±0.6 years, respectively, whereas the results of the case controls were 1.44±0.8 years for the females and 1.57±0.6 years for the males. The differences between the sECC and case control groups were significant for both genders (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Children with severe early childhood caries have lower rates of dental development when compared to normal children.
Subject(s)
Dental Care for Children/methods , Dental Caries/complications , Patient Care Planning , Tooth/growth & development , Age Determination by Teeth/methods , Case-Control Studies , Child, Preschool , Female , Humans , Male , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to investigate the root canal configurations of primary mandibular second molars (PMSMs) using Vertucci classification. Materials and Methods: The root canal types of 228 PMSMs (228 mesial and 228 distal roots) were evaluated. In addition, the relationship between external root morphology and Vertucci classification was investigated. The Chi-square test or Fisher Exact Chi-square test was used for the evaluations, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant for all tests. Results: The most commonly observed root canal type, which was observed in 228 roots (50%), was Type 4 followed by Type 8 (15.79%), Type 5 (14.47%), Type 1 (9.21%), and Type 3 (6.57%). In 150 mesial roots, the root canal Type 4 was observed whereas the same type was observed in 78 distal roots, and the difference was significant (P < 0.001). In flat roots (82.9%), the most frequently observed root canal type was Type 4 (50.8%) (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Various root canal types were observed in both mesial and distal roots although Type 4 was the most commonly observed. Root canal types showed a consistent relationship with separated and conical root shapes whereas the flat roots showed different root canal types.
