Abstract
The incidence of dental caries is still high especially in susceptible areas such as the occlusal and buccal pits.The purpose of this study was to clarify the shape of the buccal pits in the first permanent mandibular molars.Twenty unerupted first mandibular molars were investigated.After SEM observation, the specimens were embedded in epoxy resin.Finally, in order to measure the different aspects in the buccal pits, ground sections were made and observed by optical microscope.
The following results were obtained:
1.13 out of 20 teeth examined showed the presence of buccal pits, representing 65% of the sample. Some teeth had more than one pit resulting in a total of 18 pits observed.The prevalence of the buccal pits in the left and the right molars was symmetric in the same individual.
2. The average length of the buccal groove was 2.5 mm.The pit was always located in the lower third of the groove.
3. Regarding the shape of the entrance of the pit,12 pits out of the 18 pits observed showed an oval shape, representing 66.7% of the sample.
4. The entrance of the pit showed an average length of 553 μm and a width of 189 pm.The average depth of the pit was 867μm and its enamel thickness at the bottom was 658 pm on the average.
5.There was a positive correlation between the length of the pit at the entrance and depth of the pit, as well as between the width and length of the pit at the entrance of the pit (p< 0.01).
6. Regarding the shape of the pit, the DV shape was the most common, representing 38.90% from the sample.
Based on these findings, it is possible to conclude that the preventive measures applied to occlusal pits should also be considered in the case of buccal pits.
