Prevalence of Root Stumps of Permanent Teeth in Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Tooth loss is the terminal event in the life of a tooth and is a frequent episode in individuals who are uncared and have neglected oral hygiene. Tooth loss has various ill effects on an individual such as impairment of masticatory function, bad phonetics, unpleasant aesthetics, TMJ disorders, psychological issues, social withdrawal which results from decrease in confidence level. It is evident that caries and periodontitis are the most common causes for tooth loss with caries being the commonest between them. Neglected oral health may result in caries progression, which will lead to formation of root stumps. The aim of the study is to find the prevalence and incidence of root stumps of permanent teeth in pediatric patients. The study was performed under a university setting where the data of patients with root stumps of permanent teeth was collected by reviewing patients records and analysing the data of 86000 patients. The collected data was compiled, reviewed, tabulated and entered in SPSS software for statistical analysis. The study shows that only 2% were extractions of root stumps of permanent teeth. Extraction of root stumps of permanent teeth were more prevalent in patients of 9 and 11 years of age (34%) with a female predilection with most common teeth being the maxillary second premolar (22.2%). This study indicates the negligence of parents regarding the oral health of the children and provides insight on parents’ care towards the oral health of the child. Preventive measures such as topical fluoride application and usage of denial fissure sealants should be encouraged to prevent caries. Thus, the preservation of the natural dentition should be the ultimate goal of the dental professionals.