Epidemiological study of premature extraction of 5-6-year-old children from Northeastern Bulgaria

Abstract

Primary teeth lost one or more years before the time of their physiological exfoliation are prematurely lost. The aim of this study is to show the percentage of prematurely extracted teeth of urban and rural children, the types of the prematurely lost teeth and the reasons for their early lost. Subject of monitoring of the epidemiological research were 1200 children (half of them are from urban regions and the other half are from rural areas) examined by strictly calibrated teams of dental specialists. The DMF (T+t) index is used to measure the dental health. We calculate the missing teeth associated with the age of the children. The teeth we considered as a prematurely lost, were extracted one and more years before the time of their physiological exfoliation. The percentage of the prematurely extracted teeth is 4,6. There was a statistically significant difference in the relative shares of the prematurely extracted teeth of the urban (3,67 %) and the rural children (5%). The second molars are the most often extracted primary teeth both of the rural children (61,67%) and the urban children (57,7%), followed by the first molars - 35,29% for the rural and 34,41% for the urban children. The canines are the most rarely prematurely extracted teeth - 2,49% (rural children), 7,7% (urban children). The main reason for the early teeth loss is the carious lesions - in 94,12% and only 5,89% - other reasons. This results demonstrates the connection between premature extraction of the primary teeth, carious activity and the need of prophylaxis.