ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To test the effect of anterior tooth crowding on dental caries in Polish patients with primary, mixed and permanent dentition. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Dental examinations based on WHO criteria and questionnaire surveys were performed on 225 children from Poland selected by stratified random sampling. The mean dmft/DMFT scores were recorded for primary, mixed and permanent dentition. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify associations between caries prevalence and other possible caries risk factors including crowding. RESULTS: The study population had high overall caries prevalence. Both caries prevalence and DMFT in anterior teeth of 15-19 year old adolescents with crowding were higher than in those without crowding. Multivariate analysis showed that the risk factors associated with anterior caries prevalence in patients aged 15-19 years were crowding (OR 3.71) and tooth brushing twice a day or less without interdental cleaning (OR 2.15). CONCLUSIONS: Tooth crowding may have been associated with anterior caries experienced in children aged 15-19 years and must be taken into consideration as a caries risk indicator.
