Prevalence of Non-vital Molars and Incisors in Children- A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Non vital teeth are irreversibly damaged to the pulp which may be associated with necrotic pulp, pulpless or immature permanent teeth. A dead tooth can be differentiated with a decrease in lightlessness and it is more saturated. Trauma, untreated dental cavities are the most common cause of non-vitality which gradually causes infection and the tooth eventually dies. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of non vital incisors and molars in children. Data collection was done in a private dental university setting. 557 case records were reviewed from which 70 patients were selected fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criteria.The molars and incisors of those patients were reviewed from records i.e 1120 teeth, from which  96 incisors and molars was found non vital. The following parameters were evaluated based on the dental records : age, gender, non vital molar or incisor and presence of pain or discolouration if any all those datas were gathered. Excel tabulation and SPSS version 23 was used and data was subjected to analysis. Chi square test was done. The level of significance set at p<0.05. The results proved that overall prevalence of non vital incisors and molars was 8.6% .Male (75%) had a higher prevalence of non vital incisors and molars than females (25%). The prevalence of non vital teeth among the children peaked at the age groups of 11-14 years. The most frequent associated non vital teeth were found to be 11 and 21. Statistically significant differences between age groups and non vital teeth showed a higher proportion of 11-14 years old patients were associated with non vital teeth than other age groups (p<0.05). Within the limits of this study, overall prevalence of non vital incisors and molars in 8 to 18 year old children was 8.6% The highest prevalence of non-vital molars and incisors exhibited in males within the age group of 11-14 years. The most frequently associated non vital teeth were found to be 11 and 21. Male had greater prevalence of non vitality when compared with females. As most of the non vital teeth were found to be asymptomatic,there is a need for regular dental visits which may eliminate the future tooth loss in children.