Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

2 Dentist

Abstract

Statement of Problem: Ferrous sulphate derivatives in the form of syrup or drop are administered in children 6 to 24 months old to prevent iron deficiency. Many parents consider dental caries to be caused by consumption of iron and they stop its use. There is need to further studies for better clearance of this subject and the present study aimed in this direction.Purpose: The objective of this research was to evaluate the dmft and the route of using the iron derivatives and its relationship with dental caries. Other related factors were also surveyed.Materials and Method: This cross sectional research was conducted on 280 children (2-5 year old boys and girls). Data collection such as dmft, iron consumption,… was achieved by examination of the children’s primary teeth as well as giving a questionnaire form to their parents. Chi-Square, Spearman and Smirnov tests were used for statistical analysis of the collected data.Results: Among 280 children under study, 247 (88.2%) children had taken iron supplement, 142 took drop and 54 took the syrup and 51 received both forms and 33 (11.8%) had not taken any kind of iron supplement. The latter group was used as the control group. The mean dmft for all the groups was 2.71±3.26 and for the control group was 3.03±2.95, which showed no significant difference between the groups. No statistically significant difference was noticed in relation to the type of infancy nutrition, oral hygiene, children's sex and age, parent's education and length of iron consumption, but a significant relationship was visible with the child’s age and the mother’s educational level.Conclusion: There was no significant difference for the mean of dmft between the two control and iron consumer groups. As a result, prescription of iron derivatives was not effective in prevalence of dental caries in children but only could cause black stains on their teeth surfaces.Key words: Supplementary iron, dmft, Black stains