Abstract
Aims: To determine the association of root caries with some risk factors among adult population in Mosul City (rural and urban). Materials and Methods: A sample of 231 subjects was selected, aged 20-70 years old, from rural and urban areas of Mosul City. For each subject, clinical examination was performed for root surface caries, pocket depth and tooth loss. The questionnaire forms were completed by the dentist. Root Caries Index (RCI) was used for detecting root caries. Billings Index was used to record the severity of root caries, while WHO Index was used to measure pocket depth. Results: From the total sample, the mean RCI was 19.37 in rural and 18.62 in urban areas; with no significant differ-ence between them. The study revealed that for severity of the root caries lesion, grade I (incipient) was the most prevalent for both genders. Subjects of this study revealed correlation between some risk fac-tors and the occurrence of root surface caries. The mean pocket depth in relation to root surface caries with not significant difference between urban and rural areas (p > 0.05). the mean number of the miss-ing teeth increased with the increasing age in both rural and urban areas. Conclusion: Root surface caries is regarded to be high in both rural and urban population, especially those with old age. As such, management of a root caries in older population is predicted to be one of greatest challenges facing dental team in the future
