CORRELATION INTERRELATIONS OF CARIES OF PERMANENT TEETH IN CHILDREN WITH CLINICAL INDICES OF ORAL CAVITY CONSIDERING THE PSYCHO-EMOTIONAL STATE

Abstract

Nowadays a tendency of an increasing number of children with dental pathology maintains. Caries is the most widespread dental disease, which is caused by a significant amount of endogenous and exogenous factors. Special attention is necessary for children in order to study their psycho-emotional state. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation interrelations of caries of permanent teeth in children with clinical indices of oral cavity considering the psycho-emotional state. A study of 295 children aged from 6 to 16 years old following Spielberg`s method (anxiety levels) revealed that children have different levels of anxiety. Most children 213 (72.2%) have the average level of anxiety, the least number of children have high level (8.1%). In all age groups the highest percentage of children with caries was distinctive for groups with high level of anxiety. In groups with low and moderate anxiety level, the percentage of children with caries was beneath than “high”, but exceeded in 3 times the percentage of children without caries. Thus, a dependence between caries appearence and the level of anxiety can be presumed. Our research revealed that the DMF index (decayed, missing, filled) of permanent teeth in children aged from 6 to 16 years old has the following correlation: direct correlation with the following hygiene indices Fedorov-Volodkina`s (rs = 0.34), Green-Vermillion`s (rs = 0.45), TER (rs = 0.44) and viscosity (rs = 0.60). Inverted correlation interrelation with salivation rate (rs = -0.52), pH (rs = -0.49), microcrystallization (rs = -0.46), according to Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rs). Children with caries have a direct correlation interrelation with the presence of general school fear (rs = 0,18), the fear of social contact with teachers (rs = 0,14), the fear of knowledge examination (rs = 0,12). The psycho-emotional state of a child is related to the dental status to some extent and is one of the factors that affect caries process appearence. General school fear has a direct correlation with the age of children (rs = 0.17) as well as with caries activity (rs = 0.14) and reversed relationship with anxiety level – (rs = -0.21). The defined relation of clinical indices have logical background. An increase of salivation triggers the rise of pH rate. At the same time the viscosity of oral fluid decreases while the microcrystallization due to pH changes increases. As a result, the enamel resistance test parameter decreases, which concordates with the decrease of caries appearence. Analysis of the results of school anxiety test showed that 72.3% of children have caries detected within the absence of school fears. This fact requires more profound study and detection of other factors of caries appearance, e.g., possibility of local factors influence, children`s neglection of oral hygiene. Formation of anxiety types, depending on the fear factors, occurs to some extent within the family, which is affirmed by the analysis of kinetic picture of the family. As it turned out, the level of anxiety was also related to the condition of the oral cavity. However, this relation in indirect, due to lower correlation rates. Thus, the deterioration of psycho-emotional condition within the family is associated with a decrease of salivation rate, which may be explained by the activation of the sympathetic part of the autonomic nervous system. Conformably other clinical indicators that have an affect on the tooth enamel state also change. General school fears and fear of contact with teachers have a different mechanism for caries development. Anxiety that is associated with social contacts with age mates has a positive effect on oral hygiene, therefore, does not affect the development of caries.

Keywords

• children
• caries
• paired correlation
• anxiety
• school fears
• clinical indices.