title: Prevalence of marginal alveolar bone loss in children referred for treatment to the Paediatric Clinic at the School of Dentistry, University of Otago.
abstract: Proximal contact loss due to caries may contribute to the appearance of marginal alveolar bone loss (ABL) in the deciduous dentition. Children referred for treatment to the School of Dentistry, University of Otago, usually have special problems related to caries or management, or both, and the aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of marginal ABL in children treated in this clinic, and to compare it with that found in a previous study in a random sample of New Zealand 5-year-olds. Posterior bite-wing radiographs of 187 children, aged 4 to 14 years, were selected for examination. A total of 1,523 sites, from the distal of the deciduous cuspids to the mesial of the deciduous second molar or the first permanent molar if present, were examined. ABL was recorded when there was complete absence of the lamina dura and the distance from the cemento-enamel junction to the crest of the alveolar bone was > 2 mm. ABL was found in 20.8 percent of the children; 31.9 percent of these sites were adjacent to extensive proximal caries; 83.3 percent were in the maxilla, and 95.8 percent were between deciduous teeth. The youngest age at which ABL was found was 5 years. Among the children with ABL, 48.7 percent had ABL in more than one site. Comparison of the prevalence of ABL at age 5 in the present study (19.2 percent) with the one previously reported for a random population (2.1 percent), suggested that, because of the special characteristics of the children attending the University clinic, students are exposed to an exaggerated image of caries and periodontal diseases in children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dental Health, School of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin.
authors.forename: B K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Drummond
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bimstein
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016301:Alveolar Bone Loss / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003481:Cuspid / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008963:Molar / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D016300:Radiography, Bitewing; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging