{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T16:26:18Z","timestamp":1772727978621,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":41,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"13","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,28]],"date-time":"2023-06-28T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1687910400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>To date, there are very few epidemiologic studies on caries disease in 6\u20137 year old children living in Sicily (Southern Italy). The first permanent molar (FPM) is the most commonly affected tooth in this target population, and a one-unit increase in the number of decayed FPMs is predictive of caries in other teeth and in adulthood. The primary aim of this research is to estimate the prevalence of caries in 6\u20137 year old schoolchildren living in Palermo and, as a secondary aim, to estimate the prevalence of affected FPMs. It was designed as a cluster cross-sectional survey on 995 children from 16 schools, selected based on their geographical location, in one of the eight city districts. Caries data were recorded using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System for each tooth surface. The relation between socio-economic status, behavioural determinants, and clinical information and the number of teeth with initial caries (IC), moderate caries (MC), or extensive caries (SC) was analysed through the ordinal logistic regression. Among the 995 schoolchildren, 662 (66.5%) had at least one lesion and 742 (74.6%) had FPMs. Of the latter, 238 (32.0%) were affected by IC, 86 (11.6%) were affected by MC, and only 3 (0.4%) were affected by SC. During multivariable analysis, there was evidence of an increased risk of MC and SC related to the deprivation of the district in which the children lived and went to school, as well as to the protective role of parental education and employment. The same significant determinants were found for IC and MC FPMs. The study showed the important role of socio-economic determinants, unhealthy behaviours, and social deprivation related to the increased risk of moderate and extensive caries in 6\u20137 year old schoolchildren. Investigating this target population is very important, as early development of caries in FPMs may have serious consequences in the prognostics of oral health in an adult.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm12134343","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,29]],"date-time":"2023-06-29T01:15:47Z","timestamp":1688001347000},"page":"4343","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":8,"title":["Caries Severity, Decayed First Permanent Molars and Associated Factors in 6\u20137 Years Old Schoolchildren Living in Palermo (Southern Italy)"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8119-4924","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Pizzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2466-937X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Domenica","family":"Matranga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7974-3963","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Laura","family":"Maniscalco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Health Promotion, Mother and Child Care, Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1841-401X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fortunato","family":"Buttacavoli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8573-485X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Guglielmo","family":"Campus","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Restorative, Preventive and Paediatric Dentistry, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland"},{"name":"Department of Surgery, Microsurgery and Medicine Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giovanna","family":"Giuliana","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical, Oncological and Oral Sciences, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,28]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"22","DOI":"10.1186\/s13005-020-00237-z","article-title":"Dental Caries in Primary and Permanent Teeth in Children\u2019s Worldwide, 1995 to 2019: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"16","author":"Kazeminia","year":"2020","journal-title":"Head Face Med."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"15622","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-020-72403-x","article-title":"Caries Severity and Socioeconomic Inequalities in a Nationwide Setting: Data from the Italian National Pathfinder in 12-Years Children","volume":"10","author":"Campus","year":"2020","journal-title":"Sci. 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