Fissure Depth and Caries Incidence in First Permanent Molars: A Five-Year Follow-Up Study in Schoolchildren

Leonor Sánchez-Pérez, María Esther Irigoyen-Camacho, Nelly Molina-Frechero and Marco Zepeda-Zepeda
Additional contact information
Leonor Sánchez-Pérez: Departamento de Atención a la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Ciudad de Mexico 04960, Mexico
María Esther Irigoyen-Camacho: Departamento de Atención a la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Ciudad de Mexico 04960, Mexico
Nelly Molina-Frechero: Departamento de Atención a la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Ciudad de Mexico 04960, Mexico
Marco Zepeda-Zepeda: Departamento de Atención a la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Unidad Xochimilco, Calzada del Hueso 1100, Ciudad de Mexico 04960, Mexico

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 19, 1-10

Abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the association between the fissure depth (tooth morphology) of permanent molars and dental caries incidence with a five-year follow-up period. In total, 110 Mexican schoolchildren aged seven years were recruited at baseline, of which 88 children completed the follow-up assessments. The fissure depths of the first permanent lower molars were recorded, and dental caries [decayed, missing, and filled deciduous surfaces (dmfs) and decayed, missing, and filled permanent surfaces (DMFS)] was evaluated annually. A generalized estimating equation model was constructed for evaluating the association between dental caries and fissure depth. The initial and final DMFS scores were 0.02 (±0.2) and 1.55 (±2.49), respectively. The generalized estimating equation model showed that children with deep molar fissures were more likely to develop caries lesions, (Odds Ratio OR = 3.15, p = 0.028) compared to children with shallow fissures. Moreover, dental caries in primary teeth (OR = 1.07, p = 0.005) was associated with the development of carious lesions in the permanent dentition. Fissure depth was a useful predictor of dental caries, according to this five-year follow-up study. The detection of deep occlusal fissures in the lower first permanent molars could contribute to the identification of children at high risk of dental caries. Tooth morphology may be used to identify children at a higher caries risk, particularly in settings with limited resources.

Keywords: caries risk; fissure morphology; caries increment; fissure depth; follow-up study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3550/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/16/19/3550/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:16:y:2019:i:19:p:3550-:d:269689

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().