Assessment of caries diagnostic threshold of DMFT, and ICDAS II in the estimation of caries prevalence rate in first permanent molars among students of College of Dentistry-Hawler Medical University.

Abstract

Background: Dental caries is a common chronic infectious disease resulting from tooth-adherent cariogenic bacteria primarily S. Mutans, which metabolize sugars to produce acid, demineralizing the tooth structure over time. First permanent molars (FPMs) have a key role in establishing dental occlusion. They are very prone to caries because of their anatomical structure and early eruption. Hence, the estimation of dental caries in FPMs at individual and community levels could help understand the pattern and severity of dental caries. Aim: The current study aimed to evaluate the caries prevalence of FPMs amongst the students of collage of dentistry/HMU. The rate of decay between male and female, maxillary and mandibular FPM teeth. Method: This study was carried out among the students of Hawler medical university/college of dentistry. The total number of samples was (100) samples. The age of the students ranged from (18-24 years) of age. Clinical examinations were carried out under artificial light using dental mirrors and dental probe/explorers. Dental caries was diagnosed on teeth number (3, 14, 19, and 30), according to the criteria of DMFT index looking for missing, filling, decayed teeth. then ICDAS to further classify the amount of dental caries later the collected data was analyzed by using SPSS. Results: in this study the difference in decay between maxillary and mandibular teeth was significant with the P value being (0.27). Between genders the P value was (0.38) and between age groups was (0.30) their result being insignificant, according to chi-square test. Conclusion: this study indicates that; the rate of decay is more in mandibular FPMs in comparison to maxillary FPMs. While the difference between the male, female and different age group in caries prevalence are non-significant, hence, more education about the aforementioned problems is necessary. Keywords: Caries Diagnostic Threshold, Prevalence Rate.