Eruption Pattern of Deciduous Dentition in Children of Vadodara, Gujarat, India: A Cross-sectional Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: The eruption pattern of deciduous dentition can be of significant importance in forensic investigations, especially for human remains identification, age estimation, and anthropological analysis. The eruption pattern of deciduous dentition depends on geographic patterns, genetic ancestry, socio-economic status, nutritional factors, etc. Currently, the authors follow an eruption pattern chart based on the population of Western countries. Aim: To examine the eruption pattern of deciduous dentition in children from Vadodara city, Gujarat, India. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in Vadodra city of Gujarat, between November 2022 and October 2023 on a total of 1025 children between the ages of 0-36 months who met the inclusion criteria on the respective days of the hospital visit after obtaining informed consent from a legal guardian, an oral examination was carried out to check the teeth present along with their chronological age. Probit analysis was performed to determine the mean age for the eruption of each deciduous tooth using StatsDirect software. Results: The deciduous mandibular central incisor was the first tooth to erupt in the oral cavity at 6.05±1.12 months, followed by the maxillary central incisor and lateral incisors at 6.52±0.56 months and 7.92±0.62 months, respectively. The mandibular lateral incisor erupted at the age of 9.99±0.91 months. In the maxillary arch, the first molar erupted at the age of 13.51±1.12 months, the canine at 18.95±0.98 months, and the second molar at 28.05±0.94 months. In the mandibular arch, the first molar erupted at 14.12±0.82 months, the canine at 16.22±0.51 months, and the second molar at 24.75±0.99 months. Girls showed earlier eruption compared to boys; however, no interarch variation was observed in the mean age of tooth eruption. Additionally, there was no difference in the sequence of eruption of deciduous teeth, as reported in other studies. Conclusion: From the present study, it can be concluded that the Gujarati population demonstrates slightly earlier eruptions when compared to the standard eruption chart given by Logan WHG and Kronfeld R. The sequence of the eruption remains consistent with that of other studies, which is A-B-D-C-E.