Impact of first dental visit and dental age on caries status in children

Timing of the first dentist and early or late eruption of teeth may be important indicators of susceptibility to caries. A common misconception among the general population is that late-erupting teeth are less susceptible to dental caries, whereas early-erupting teeth are more susceptible to decay.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between the first dental visit age (FDVA), dental age (DA), and caries experience in children.

A retrospective observational study was conducted using clinical records and orthopantomograms of children in the early mixed dentition period at a university hospital for the routine dental examination needs.

FDVA was obtained from patient records, and DA was assessed on orthopantomograms using the Willems method based on the developmental stages of seven mandibular left permanent teeth. Caries status was evaluated radiographically using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT)/decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) indices.

Statistical analyses included paired t -tests, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation tests.

Totally, orthopantomograms of 1989 children were examined. The mean FDVA was 7.11 years. Children with lower FDVA had significantly higher dmft scores ( P = 0.0001). The mean DA (8.64 years) was significantly higher than the mean chronological age (CA) (7.93 years) ( P = 0.0001). Children whose DA exceeded their CA had significantly higher DMFT scores ( P = 0.0001), although this association was not observed for dmft.

DA higher than CA is associated with an increased risk of caries, particularly in the permanent dentition. Children with an earlier FDVA exhibited higher dmft values, possibly because those with more existing caries were brought to the dentist earlier.