OXIS Contacts as a Risk Factor for Approximal Caries: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Dental Morphology
• Caries Research

Background:

• Dental caries remains a significant oral health issue in children.
• Understanding variations in tooth contact morphology is crucial for predicting caries risk.
• The OXIS classification system categorizes primary molar contact areas based on their shape.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the differential susceptibility of four OXIS contact area types (O, X, I, S) to approximal caries in primary molars.
• To identify which contact morphologies pose the highest risk for caries development in children.
• To provide evidence for targeted preventive strategies based on contact area characteristics.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective cohort study analyzed 1,102 primary molar contact areas from clinical photographs and CBCT images.
• Contacts were classified using the OXIS criteria and monitored for at least one year for approximal caries development.
• Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the association between contact type and caries prevalence.

Main Results:

• Approximately 23.5% of the evaluated contacts developed or were restored due to approximal caries.
• Contact type was a significant predictor of caries prevalence (P<0.05).
• The odds ratios for approximal caries were highest for S (147.4) and I (24.5) contacts, followed by X (1.1) and O (1.00) contacts.

Conclusions:

• The curved (S) contact type exhibits the highest susceptibility to approximal caries due to its complex morphology.
• Broad contact areas (I and S types) present a greater risk for approximal caries in primary molars compared to narrow (O and X) types.
• Contact morphology is a critical factor influencing caries risk in primary molars, informing preventive dental care.