A cross-sectional study looked into the incidence of early missing primary teeth in children aged 6 to 12 in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriya

Abstract

Background: The early loss of primary teeth is a pretty common childhood dental issue; it’s also tied to a notable risk for problems in how the dental arch develops later. If the arch length isn’t right, things like crowding can show up, and you can also see premature eruption or even impaction of the permanent teeth. That kind of situation might cause consequences that go well beyond the mouth, meaning it affects the student overall health and developmental path. Objective: The goal was to figure out how often early primary tooth loss happens among school children aged 6–12 years, and also to look at how it spreads, by sex and by tooth type. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study involving 259 students, 135 boys and 124 girls, ranging from 6 to 12 years. Dental assessments were done by a trained examiner, using standardized artificial lighting conditions. Patient age and the number of teeth lost prematurely were recorded in a systematic way. The data were handled with descriptive statistics, and Chi-square tests were used to check for associations, using a 5% significance threshold, P ≤ 0.05. Results: Early primary tooth loss occurred in both groups, and girls showed a slightly higher prevalence, 51% compared with boys at 49%. When we looked by tooth type, the first molars came up as the teeth most often involved, they made up 42.6% of all recorded early tooth losses inside the dental arch. Conclusion: A relatively high prevalence of early primary tooth loss was found in this study group. Putting targeted oral health education in place, along with preventive intervention programs, could help children keep healthier primary dentition, so disruptions to normal occlusal development may be reduced. Also, early detection and prompt management of arch space discrepancies that happen after premature tooth loss are key steps if we want to lower the likelihood of malocclusion later in life.