Prevalence of Early Primary Teeth Loss in 5-9-year-old Schoolchildren in and around Melmaruvathur: A Cross-sectional Study.

AIM: The goal of this study was to determine the frequency of early primary tooth loss among school children in and around Melmaruvathur, Tamil Nadu, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving all the children aged between 5 and 9 years in and around Melmaruvathur, Tamil Nadu, India, from January 2022 to July 2022 was conducted. A total of 20 government schools were approached for participation in the study, study population consisted of 800 government school children (358 boys and 442 girls). All clinical assessments were done in the natural light by an experienced examiner. Age and missing teeth were among the data gathered. RESULTS: The findings revealed that 20.8% of the sample had lost their primary teeth before the age of 6 (p > 0.05), although no gender differences were seen, males (12.6%) were more commonly affected than females (8.2%). The mandibular arch (61.8%) was more commonly affected than the maxillary arch (38.2%). In accordance with the frequency of early loss of teeth relative to tooth type, the molars (98.2%) were the most commonly prematurely lost teeth followed by the incisors (1.5%) and the cuspids (0.3%). The left lower primary first molars (42.3%) were the most often missing teeth, and the frequency was highest in 8-year-old children (38.9%). CONCLUSION: It was shown that lower primary molars were the most often missing teeth in the current investigation, and that early loss was highly prevalent. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Early loss of primary teeth leads to lots of malocclusion problems mainly arch length discrepancies are seen. Early detection and management of the space problems associated with the early loss of primary teeth would help in reducing malocclusion problems.

Knowledge, Awareness, and Practice Regarding Management of Dental Trauma in Children among Dental Practitioners: A Cross-sectional Survey.

AIM: The aim of this study was to determine the current level of knowledge and understanding about dental trauma and its management in children among dental practitioners. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was conducted after obtaining the ethical clearance from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). A structured questionnaire was prepared, which comprised 20 questions and was validated by dental trauma experts. The questionnaire, which covers all aspects of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in both primary and permanent dentition, was distributed online to 850 dental practitioners. The questionnaire was open from January 2022 to April 2022, with a 3-month time frame to complete it. The responses were collected and statistical analysis was done using SPSS software. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants were 22-30 years. Furthermore, 515 participants were females and 263 were males. In this survey among 784 responses, 449 dentists were trained in dental trauma and 618 participants had personal experience in managing dental trauma. All other questions about knowledge and awareness of dental trauma management received fewer correct answers. CONCLUSION: According to the present study, dental practitioners have only mild-to-moderate knowledge and awareness about dental trauma. From the latest the International Association for Dental Traumatology guidelines, dentists need to consistently update their knowledge through dental trauma conferences, workshops, trainings, and symposiums. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: This study informs us about the existing level of dental knowledge about dental trauma, which is significantly low. This will considerably boost dental practitioners' interest in TDIs. As a result, practitioners' expertise will grow, allowing them to better care for their patients.