Caries Susceptibility Of Proximal Surfaces Of Permanent First Molars

Introduction: Permanent first molar is most caries prone of all permanent teeth. Mejare et.al. reported that the distal surface of permanent first molar was most caries prone. The purpose of current study was to determine which proximal surface was most caries prone. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study was undertaken at Hamdard University Dental Hospital, Karachi and Islamic International Dental Hospital, Islamabad over a period of one month. Patients presenting with proximal carious lesions in 284 permanent first molar, diagnosed by clinical and radiographic examination were included in this study. Patients with caries on both proximal surfaces of same tooth were excluded. The data was collected on a proforma. Collected data was analyzed with SPSS version 17 for Windows. Results: Mesial surface was more affected (55.6%) than distal surface (44.4%) at both study settings. When surfaces were compared with age groups, similar pattern was observed except for age above 41 where mesial and distal surfaces were equally affected. There was statistically significant involvement of mesial surface in maxillary molars (P<0.01). Conclusions: Mesial surface was found to be more caries prone as compared to distal surface of permanent first molar except in age group of 41 and above The results are in contrast to the published international data.