Risk Factors for First Molar Caries in 8-12-Year-Olds: A Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52206/jsmc.2025.15.1.1030Abstract
Background: First permanent molar is the first tooth to erupt in oral cavity so more prone to dental caries. Many risk factors are responsible for this tooth susceptibility to caries like lack of awareness and financial resources.
Objective: To determine the distribution of risk factors for dental caries in first permanent molars among children aged 8-12 years.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 236 children at Saidu College of Dentistry, using nonprobability consecutive sampling. Children aged 8-12 years in the mixed dentition stage were included. Exclusion criteria were physically/mentally handicapped children or those with medical conditions like leukemia and hemophilia. Data were collected through parent interviews and oral examinations using the decayed missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index. Chi-square test was run to determine association.
Results: The mean age of the patients was 10.25±3.1 years with more females (n = 134, 56.78%) than males (n = 102, 43.22%). Females consumed sugary foods more frequently, with 47 (35.07%) consuming them 3-4 times daily, compared to 25 males (24.51%) (p < 0.001). Males (n = 49, 48.04%) consumed beverages 1-2 times daily more frequently than females (n = 15, 11.19%) (p < 0.001). Rural participants had significantly higher sugary food intake (p < 0.001), lower tooth brushing frequency (p < 0.001), and more frequent snacking (p < 0.001) compared to urban participants, who showed greater awareness of caries prevention (p = 0.002)
Conclusion: Dental caries was highly frequent among 8–12-year-olds, with significant correlations to sugar intake, tooth brushing habits, caries prevention awareness, and snacking.
Keywords: Children, Dental carries, First permanent molar, Pediatric dentistry, Risk factors
References
Kazeminia M, Abdi A, Shohaimi S, Jalali R, Vaisi-Raygani A, Salari N, et al. Dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children worldwide, 1995 to 2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Head Face Med 2020;16:1-21. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13005-020-00237-z
Moynihan PJ, Kelly SA. Effect on caries of restricting sugars intake: systematic review to inform WHO guidelines. J Dent Res 2014 Jan;93(1):8-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022034513508954
Dogan M, Aras A, Atas O, Karaali A, Gunay A, Akbaba H, et al. Effects of toothache on the educational and social status of children. Makara J Health Res 2019;23:78-81. https://doi.org0.7454/msk.v23i2.10712
Bernabé E, Masood M, Vujicic M. The impact of out-of-pocket payments for dental care on household finances in low- and middle-income countries. BMC Public Health 2017;17:109. https://doi.org.10.1186/s12889-017-4042-0
Noronha JC, Massara Mde L, Souki BQ, Nogueira AP. First permanent molar: first indicator of dental caries activity in initial mixed dentition. Braz Dent J 1999;10:99–104.
Walsh T, Worthington HV, Glenny AM, Appelbe P, Marinho VCC, Shi X. Fluoride toothpastes of different concentrations for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2010;(1):CD007868. https://doi.org.10.1002/14651858.CD007868.pub2
Haleem A, Khan A. Dental caries and oral hygiene status of 12 years old school children in Pakistan. Pak J Med Res 2001;40:138-142.
Bader JD, Rozier G, Harris R. Dental Caries Prevention: The Physician's Role in Child Oral Health Systematic Evidence Review. Agency Healthcare Res Qual 2004;12:32-39.
Gorbatova MA, Pochinkova PA, Simakova AA, Gorbatova LN, Grjibovski A. Dental caries among 5-7 years old children in a Russian subarctic region. Stomatol 2022;101(5):43-47. https://doi.org/10.17116/stomat202210105143
Rahatina VEF, Hadisaputro S, S HS. Risk factors for dental caries in elementary school children aged 6-12 in Indonesia (Systematic Literature Review). J Riset Kesehatan 2023;12(2). https://doi.org/10.31983/jrk.v12i2.9988
Yadav S, Kalla K, Upadhyay A. Prevalence of dental caries among children of age group 8 to 16 years in Hyderabad: A cross-sectional study. Int J Sci Res 2023. https://doi.org/10.36106/ijsr/8503324
Kotha S, Terkawi S, Mubaraki S, Al Saffan AD, Mallineni S. Association between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries among 6–12-year-old school children. Children 2022;9. https://doi.org/10.3390/children9050608
Zhu F, Chen Y, Yu Y, Xie Y, Zhu H, Wang H. Caries prevalence of the first permanent molars in 6-8 years old children. PLoS One 2021;16(1): e0245345. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0245345
Mahboobi Z, Pakdaman A, Yazdani R, Azadbakht L, Shamshiri AR, et al. Caries incidence of the first permanent molars according to the caries assessment spectrum and treatment (CAST) index and its determinants in children: a cohort study. BMC Oral Health 2021;21:45-54. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-021-01612-1
Escobar-Rojas A, Rojas-Gualdrón DF, Martínez CM, Santos-Pinto L, Restrepo M. Greater caries-free survival of first permanent molars: Findings from a 7-year follow-up evaluation of a community-based oral health preventive program. Int J Paediatr Dent 2020;4: 497-504. https://doi.org/10.1111/ipd.12619
Saldarriaga A, Rojas-Gualdrón D, Restrepo M, Santos-Pinto L, Jeremias F. Dental fluorosis severity in children 8-12 years old and associated factors. Acta Odontol Latinoam 2021;34(1):156-65. https://doi.org/10.54589/aol.34/2/156
Mubaraki S, AlOlyan R, AlBrekeit J, AlFouzan S, Abosharkh M, AlSaeri N, Baseer MA. Prevalence of caries in first permanent molar among children in Saudi Arabia: a retrospective study. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2022 Oct 15;26(20):34-39. https://doi.org/10.26355/eurrev_202210_30026
Fadilah RPN, Pribadi A. Dental caries survey of first permanent molar teeth among 6-8 years old during the pandemic: A cross-sectional study. Padjadjaran J Dent Res Stud 2023; 7:99. https://doi.org/10.24198/pjdrs.v7i2.47399
Ma?iulskien? V, Razmien? J, Andruškevi?ien? V, Bendoraitien? E. Estimation of caries treatment needs in first permanent molars of lithuanian 5–6-year-old children, based on caries lesion activity assessment. Med 2020 Mar 2;56(3):105. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56030105
Aras A, Dogan MS. Caries prevalence and severity in immature permanent first molar teeth in Sanliurfa City, Turkey. J Dent Indones 2020;27:13-6. https://doi.org/10.14693/jdi.v27i1.1114
Emmanuelli B, Knorst JK, Menegazzo GR, Mendes FM, Ardenghi TM. The impact of early childhood factors on dental caries incidence in first permanent molars: A 7-year follow-up study. Caries Res 2021; 55:167-73. https://doi.org/10.1159/000515083
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The authors retain the copyrights. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website), as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as greater citation of published work.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Readers may “Share-copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format” and “Adapt-remix, transform, and build upon the material”. The readers must give appropriate credit to the source of the material and indicate if changes were made to the material. Readers may not use the material for commercial purpose. The readers may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
