REASONS FOR PRIMARY TEETH EXTRACTION IN CHILDREN AGED 1-14 YEARS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Abstract

Early primary teeth extraction decrease children’s quality of life, promote malocclusion, speech disturbance, gastro-intestinal disease.

Aim: to study the reasons for primary teeth extraction, analyze the types of extracted primary teeth and propose the measures for prevention of early primary teeth loss in children.

Materials and methods. Retrospective study was conducted in a paediatric dental clinic in Volgograd. Randomly selected medical records of 100 paediatric patients aged 1-14 years with 347 extracted primary teeth were studied. Every case of tooth extraction was analyzed taking into account the type of a tooth, the reason for extraction, the previous treatment, and the data of radiographic examination. The proportions (%) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were calculated; chi-square test was used for the differences assessment at p-value < 0.05.

Results. The main reasons for the primary tooth extractions were caries sequelae – 69.2% (95% CI 64.1-73.8%), C-group, followed by the disturbances in permanent tooth eruption – 30.0% (95% CI 25.2-35.1%), O-group, and trauma – 0.9% (95% CI 0.2-2.5%), T-group. The most common extracted primary teeth in C-group were molars (87.4%, 95%CI 82.7-91.1%), in O-group – incisors (61.5%, 95% CI 51.9-70.3%). The differences between the distribution of extracted teeth types in C- and O-groups were significant statistically (p<0.001). In total the first molar was the most frequently extracted primary tooth. Previously treated and untreated teeth were equally registered among the teeth in C-group. The majority of them had carious lesions on 2 (54.2%, 95% CI 47.7-60.5%) or more surfaces (36.6%, 95% CI 30.1-42.5%), pathological root resorption (69.6%, 95% CI 63.0-75.4%); extensive radiolucency in periapical and furcation areas was revealed in all the cases. In C-group 47.5% (95% CI 41.0-54.0%) of the teeth were extracted due to pulpitis treatment failure; the most 98.2% (95% CI 93.8-99.5%) of them had restoration loss, fractures, marginal leakage or secondary caries.

Conclusion. Caries sequelae is the main reason for primary teeth extraction in children and the first primary molar is the most commonly extracted tooth. Early caries detection and treatment, improvement of dental restorations longevity are necessary for the prevention of premature primary teeth loss in children.