Absent six-year-old tooth: no prosthetic treatment and periodontal impact

The six-year tooth or definitive first molar is a key tooth in the growth of the jawbone and skeleton. However, it is more prone to decay, leading to its early and often uncompensated loss. The aim of this study was to describe the factors that lead to prosthetic treatment and to identify its periodontal impact.

This is a prospective, cross-sectional descriptive study of 400 subjects attending the Kintana dispensary and the private dental practice in Antanambao Ambalavato, Mahajanga from May 2022 to October 2023. All subjects aged 18 with at least one missing permanent first molar compensated or not by a prosthesis and willing to be surveyed were included. Those who had an additional edentulous area were excluded.

The sample comprised 36.8% of women and 63.2% men. Ninety-five percent of respondents (95%) hadat least one missing, uncompensated six-year-old tooth. Factors cited were financial means and refusal of a removable prosthesis (32.6%), neglect of oral health (32.6%) and lack of knowledge (31.6%). Among non-prosthesis wearers, 34% had gingivitis and 18.4% had periodontitis. The occurrence of periodontal disease was correlatedvery significantly with non-compensation for missing teeth (p=0.003).

Uncompensated edentulism, even if it’s a single tooth, can lead to serious periodontal diseases, which can cause the onset or worsening of general diseases.