The Bilateral Occurrence of Caries in First Permanent Molaramong 7-12 Years Old Children Attending Dental Hospital/ College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad

Aim of study The purpose of the present study was to determine the severity and bilateral occurrence of caries in first permanent molar among 7-12 years old children attending Dental Hospital/ College of Dentistry, University of Baghdad. Material and method The total sample composed 100 children (55 boys and 45girls) with an age (7-12) years. Those children were attending the Prevention and Pedodontics dental clinic in the College of Dentistry, Baghdad University as a first visit. Information regarding the name, age and gender of the patient was registered prior to the examination. Oral examination were carried out according to the criteria of (WHO 1997). The diagnosis of dental caries was carried out according to the criteria of Manji et al 1989. This allows recording decayed lesion by severity. Results The occurrence of caries was the highest percentage on left side73 % than right side (69 %) for maxillary teeth while in mandibular teeth the higher percentage was on the right side (92 %) than the left side (82 %). D2 was the highest among mandibular and maxillary teeth for both sides in all age group while D4 was the lowest percentage. The bilateral occurrence of caries was higher in lower jaw (80 %) than upper jaw (64 %). Concerning the occurrence of bilateral caries severity D2 registered the highest percentage for upper and lower jaw (26 %-20 %) respectively. Conclusion A high bilateral occurrence demands careful prevention strategies including fissure sealants, topical fluoride applications. The knowledge of caries pattern would help clinicians in the formulation of appropriate treatment strategies.