Dental caries in anterior teeth of babies can predict the occurrence of severe dental caries in posterior teeth: a 3-year cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate whether the presence of dental caries in the primary anterior teeth of 1- and 2-year-old babies can predict the occurrence of severe dental caries in the primary posterior teeth of these children after a 3-year follow-up.

Methodology: This cohort study was carried out with 99 children and their guardians who were assessed at the beginning of the study and reassessed after 3 years. Severe caries in posterior tooth at the 3-year follow-up is the dependent variable. Caries in anterior tooth at baseline is the main independent variable. Other independent variables are family income, mother's education, oral hygiene, night oral hygiene, sucrose consumption, and history of toothache. Descriptive analysis, chi-square test, and Poisson regression were performed.

Results: The incidence of severe caries in posterior tooth was 3.33 times higher in children with caries in anterior tooth at baseline (95% CI 2.06-5.37). Children who belonged to lower-income families both at baseline and at follow-up (RR: 2.75; 95% CI 1.40-5.39), who did not perform night-time oral hygiene at baseline (RR: 1.76; 95% CI 1.10-2.80) and who had a frequency of sucrose consumption equal to or greater than twice a day, both at baseline and at follow-up (RR: 4.07; 95% CI 2.03-8.19) had a higher risk of developing severe dental caries in posterior deciduous teeth.

Conclusion: Children with dental caries in primary anterior teeth when they were babies have a higher incidence of severe caries in posterior teeth.