OXIS Contacts and Approximal Caries in 3-6-year-old Children: A Prospective Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Dental Public Health
• Cariology

Background:

• Dental caries remains a significant public health issue in children.
• Understanding the factors influencing caries development, such as tooth contact morphology, is crucial for prevention.
• The OXIS (Open, point, straight, curved) classification system describes tooth contact areas.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the distribution of OXIS contact areas on primary molars.
• To determine the individual susceptibility of each OXIS contact type to proximal caries in children aged 3-6 years.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study involving 192 caries-free children (3-6 years old).
• Two calibrated dentists assessed 768 primary molar contacts using OXIS criteria.
• Follow-up for at least 1 year to record the incidence of approximal caries.
• Spearman's correlation test was used to analyze the association between contact type and caries.

Main Results:

• Out of 529 followed contacts, 145 (27.41%) developed caries.
• A significant association was found between OXIS contact type and approximal caries (p < 0.05).
• Odds ratios for caries development: S-contact (2.297), I-contact (1.119), X-contact (0.970), O-contact (1.00 - reference).

Conclusions:

• Tooth contact variations significantly influence approximal caries development in primary molars.
• Curved (S-type) contacts present the highest susceptibility to caries.
• Point (X-type) and straight (I-type) contacts show intermediate and lower risks, respectively, compared to open (O-type) contacts.