The presence of non-carious lesions in children

Abstract

Introduction A non-carious lesion (NCL) is the loss of hard dental tissue on the neck, tuberculum and incisal edges of the teeth. Interest in clinical presence and in unclear etiology of these lesions allows for their future prevention and treatment. Objective The aim of the study was to determine presence and clinical characteristics of NCLs and dentine hypersensitivity (DH), as well as their possible risk factors in children, in the population of the city of Novi Sad. Methods A total of 55 subjects were included in the present study, aged between three and 18 years. Each subject completed a structured questionnaire related to the etiological factors, and all teeth of each subject were examined by two independent clinical dentists to determine NCLs and DH. In the case of small children, their parents or guardians filled out the questionnaire. Teeth with NCLs and DH were diagnosed according to the Basic Erosive Wear Examination (BEWE) index and by a blast of air according to Schiff and Hypersensitivity Index. The review was carried out by inspection and probing. Results The data were analyzed by clinical examination and comparison of the answers to the questionnaires. We observed an increased presence of non-caries lesions on primary teeth, compared to permanent teeth, with a statistically significant difference (χ2=3.86, df=1, p=0.04). The changes were observed in 82 teeth, and were most frequent on the canine deciduous teeth (65%) and canine permanent teeth (51%). BEWE index was 10-11% to 92-100% in permanent, and 51-57% in deciduous teeth. Majority of patients with primary teeth (89.36%) did not respond to air stimulus, while most patients with permanent teeth (74.29%) did not react to Schiff Index. In the estimate of sensitivity, the respondents reported hypersensitivity on 6.38% of the deciduous teeth and 22.86% of the permanent teeth. Comparison of etiology factors did not reveal a direct link with the appearance of NCLs. Conclusion Research has shown that despite the lack of subjective symptoms, these lesions have distinct clinical characteristics. The fact that they occur even in deciduous dentition justifies the need for further investigations.

Uvod Nekarijesne lezije su gubitak čvrstog zubnog tkiva u predelu vrata, kvržica i incizalnih ivica zuba. Sve veća rasprostranjenost i nejasna etiologija razlozi su za povećano kliničko interesovanje, što može biti značajno u prevenciji i lečenju ovih lezija. Cilj rada Cilj istraživanja je bio da se ustanove učestalost i kliničke odlike nekarijesnih lezija, dentinska preosetljivost na mestu lezija i mogući faktori rizika za nastanak ovih lezija kod dece koja žive na teritoriji Novog Sada. Metode rada Ispitano je 55 dece uzrasta od tri godine do 18 godina. Sami ispitanici ili roditelji, odnosno staratelji, popunjavali su upitnik koji je sadržavao pitanja u vezi s potencijalnim etiološkim faktorima. Zube su ispitanicima pregledala dva nezavisna ispitivača. Zubi sa nekarijesnim lezijama i dentinskom preosetljivošću su dijagnostikovani prema kriterijumu indeksa BEWE (engl. basic erosive wear examination) i vazduhom iz pustera prema kriterijumu Šifovog (Schiff) indeksa i indeksa preosetljivosti.Pregled je vršen inspekcijom i sondiranjem. Rezultati Na osnovu analize podataka dobijenih kliničkim pregledom i poređenjem odgovora iz upitnika, utvrđeno je povećano prisustvo nekarijesnih lezija na mlečnim zubima u odnosu na stalne zube sa statistički značajnom razlikom (χ2=3,86; ss=1; p=0,04). Na 82 zuba je uočena nekarijesna promena. Ove promene su najčešće bile na mlečnim očnjacima (65%) i na stalnim očnjacima (51%). Vrednost indeksa BEWE od 11 do 10 bila je kod stalnih zuba 92-100%, a kod mlečnih 51-57%. Kod 89,36% dece s mlečnim i 74,29% sa stalnim zubima nije bilo reakcije na vazdušnu stimulaciju Šifov indeks). Prema proceni ispitanika, osetljivost se javila kod 6,38% mlečnih i 22,86% stalnih zuba (indeks preosetljivosti). Poređenje etioloških faktora nije dovedeno u direktnu vezu s nastankom nekarijesnih lezija. Zaključak Istraživanje je pokazalo da, bez obzira na nedostatak subjektivnih tegoba, ove lezije imaju izrazitu kliničku sliku. Činjenica a se javljaju još u mlečnoj denticiji govori u prilog potrebi za mnogo detaljnijim istraživanjem.