Determination of prevalence and etiology of tooth discolorations in children aged 3-12 in uşak region and evaluation of parental awareness levels

Tooth discoloration can occur due to extrinsic factors or intrinsic factors, and its management requires the identification of the underlying cause along with the implementation of appropriate treatment options. Studies encompassing all types of discoloration are limited in the literature. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of discoloration, etiological factors, and parental awareness levels among children aged 3 to 12 years who applied to Uşak University Faculty of Dentistry. A total of 410 pediatric patients were included in this study. Family members were requested to answer a questionnaire regarding the children's dental health. For the dental health data, the DMFS/dmfs index, Silness-Löe plaque index, and visible plaque status were recorded. In patients with extrinsic discoloration, the Lobene discoloration index was also noted. In the sample, the prevalence of discoloration was found to be 17.8%. Among the patients with discoloration, 51.42% exhibited intrinsic discoloration, 47.3% had extrinsic discoloration, and 1.4% presented with other types of discoloration. Statistical significance was found between the presence of discoloration and factors such as age (p<0.05), fruit and vegetable consumption (p>0.05), frequency of snack consumption (p<0.05), use of mouthwash(p<0.05), frequency of dental visits (p<0.05), history of trauma (p<0.05), and parental assistance in brushing (p<0.05). The level of family awareness was determined to be 35.4%. It was observed that there was generally an awareness regarding the presence of discoloration; however, this proportion was found to be low. It is essential to educate families regarding discoloration. Further studies with larger sample sizes should be conducted to identify the etiological factors of discoloration.