Attrition of Deciduous Teeth in Nursery School Children

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the progression rate of attrition in deciduous teeth by age. The attrition in each deciduous tooth was examined in 257 nursery school children aged 1 to 6 years in Sendai using criteria graded in 6 or 7 degrees for incisors, canines and molars.
These subjects were divided into 11 age groups at six-month intervals, and the data of attrition were statistically analysed. The findings were as follows.
1) There were no differences in the progression rate of attrition between right and left teeth or between boys and girls in almost all age groups, and the mean attrition score of each tooth type advanced with increasing age.
2) When the attrition scores of lower and upper teeth in each tooth types were compared, lower central incisors, upper lateral incisors, upper canines and lower second molars showed a higher rate of attrition than teeth in the opposite jaw.
3) A higher rate of attrition was detected in the central incisors and in the first molars than in the lateral incisors and the second molars.