Cariogram Profile of Iranian Children in the Primary and Mixed Dentition Periods Publisher

Summary: A study found that Iranian children in primary dentition have a higher caries risk compared to those in mixed dentition. Could diet play a role? Sugar intake matters! #OralHealth #CariesRisk

Milani S ; Shahrabi M ; Hosseini Z ; Harandi FA ; Baniebrahimi G
Source: Journal of Research in Dental and Maxillofacial Sciences Published:2026

Abstract

Background and Aim: This study compared the caries risk profile of Iranian children in the primary and mixed dentition periods using the Cariogram model. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 children in the primary (5-6 years) and mixed (11-12 years) dentition periods (100 participants per group). Data were collected through parental interviews, oral clinical examination, and saliva sampling. All sectors of the Cariogram, except Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) microbial testing, were evaluated. After obtaining the Cariogram profile of children, their caries risk was estimated and compared between the two groups by t-test. Each Cariogram component was compared between the two groups after controlling for demographic confounders using the regression analysis (alpha=0.05). Results: In the primary dentition group, 5% of children had very low/low caries risk, 11% had moderate, and 84% had high/very high risk. In the mixed dentition group, 19% had very low/low risk, 32% had moderate, and 49% had high/very high risk. The mean risk of caries was significantly higher in the primary than mixed dentition period (74.92% vs. 56.60%, P=0.002). Caries experience (OR=5.17, P<0.001), salivary secretion (OR=2.61, P=0.002), using a fluoridated toothpaste (OR=2.41, P=0.02), diet (OR=3.14, P=0.01), diet frequency (OR=2.53, P=0.004), and clinical judgment (OR=2.19, P=0.01) were also significantly different between the two groups. Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that Iranian children in the primary dentition period had a significantly higher risk of caries, associated with higher sugar intake and insufficient fluoride exposure in comparison to children in the mixed dentition period. © 2026 Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University.