prevalence of tooth mortality among 6-13 year old school children

Background: tooth mortality is the loss of teeth due to decay, trauma, or extraction. it represents a significant oral health issue with potential long-term consequences. the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of tooth mortality among 6-13-year-old school children in the west godavari district of andhra pradesh.methods: children were recruited through multistage cluster sampling. a total of 3997 children, including 2117 males and 1880 females, were screened for the presence of tooth mortality in the present cross-sectional observational study. the data were analyzed using chi-square test.results: tooth mortality was observed in 15.2% of the study population. no significant difference was observed in terms of tooth mortality between males and females. the males had a prevalence of 15.4% and females had a prevalence of 14.2%. seven years old children had the highest prevalence of tooth mortality (18.4%). the lowest prevalence was observed in 12-year-old group (12.9%). however, no significant difference was observed between different age groups. the prevalence of tooth mortality was higher in permanent dentition (13.38%) compared to primary dentition (5.40%). mandibular first permanent molars exhibited the highest tooth mortality among the study population.conclusion: the prevalence of tooth mortality in the study population is 15.2%. the results recommend comprehensive caries prevention programs targeting children at an early age. implementation of community-based interventions may help reduce tooth mortality among children.