DefinePK

Abstract

Timely eruption of permanent teeth is essential for normal occlusion, mastication, and speech development. Delays in eruption may indicate underlying nutritional, systemic, or local oral health issues. Limited data are available in Pakistan on the prevalence and associated factors of delayed eruption in school-aged children. To determine the prevalence of delayed eruption of permanent teeth and evaluate its associated demographic, biological, and environmental factors among children aged 6–14 years. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in 2025 in the dental outpatient departments of selected public and private clinics in Peshawar, Pakistan. A total of 119 children meeting inclusion criteria were recruited using consecutive sampling. Data on demographic characteristics, medical and dental history, nutritional status, and oral habits were collected via structured proforma. Intraoral examination was performed according to WHO Oral Health Survey Methods. Delayed eruption was defined as clinical absence of a permanent tooth ≥ 6 months beyond the expected eruption age. Data were analyzed using SPSS v26; chi-square tests were applied for bivariate analysis, and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent predictors. The prevalence of delayed eruption was 39.5% (n = 47). Factors significantly associated with delayed eruption in multivariate analysis included age 6–8 years (AOR = 3.25, 95% CI: 1.10–9.58), underweight nutritional status (AOR = 3.95, 95% CI: 1.54–10.15), systemic conditions affecting growth (AOR = 4.85, 95% CI: 1.30–18.09), preterm/low birth weight (AOR = 2.95, 95% CI: 1.01–8.64), prolonged oral habits past age 3 (AOR = 3.20, 95% CI: 1.05–9.75), crowding (AOR = 5.15, 95% CI: 2.05–12.95), and dental caries experience (AOR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.22–6.65) (p < 0.05). Delayed eruption of permanent teeth is common in the studied population and is associated with nutritional, systemic, and local oral factors. Early identification of at-risk children through routine dental screening and preventive interventions could help mitigate long-term oral health complications.