Assessment of the Need for First Molar Root Canal Therapy in School Children of 8 to11Years Old in Rafsanjan in 2013

The first maxillary and mandibular permanent molar teeth are the first teeth that erupt behind primary dentition. So they maybe decayed because of carelessness. Caries of these teeth can extend to the pulphorn and result pulp and periapical diseases. The purpose of this study is to assess the need for first molar root canal therapy in school children of 8 to11years old in Rafsanjan in 2013. In this descriptive study, 450 students of 8-11years (210 girls and 240 boys) were selected in Rafsanjan schools in 2013, using a random cluster sampling method. We examined their maxillary and mandibular first molars with a mirror and an explorer.We used SPSS version 17 and Chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests for statistical analysis. P< 0.05 was considered as significant. In 57 students (12.66%) there was an indication for endodontic treatment of the first molars. The need for endodontic therapy was significantly related to the subject's age (p=0<001), father's education level (p=0.046), mother's education level (p=0.005) and father's job (p=0.001). Age, gender, parent's eduction level and job are important and influencing factors in necessity of first molar root canal therapy in 8- to 11-year-old school children.