Acta Scientific DENTAL SCIENCES (ISSN: 2581-4893) Volume 5 Issue 1 January 2021 Black Stains in Children and its Correlation to Dental Caries Ibrahim H El-Kalla 1 and Hanaa Mahmoud Shalan 2 * 1 Professor of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University and Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Egypt 2 Associate Professor, Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University and Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Egypt *Corresponding Author: Hanaa Mahmoud Shalan, Associate Professor, Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Mansoura University and Badr University in Cairo (BUC), Egypt. Research Article Received: September 21, 2020 Published: December 09, 2020 © All rights are reserved by Ibrahim H El-Kalla and Hanaa Mahmoud Shalan. Abstract Aim: This study assessed the prevalence of black stain on teeth of Egyptian school-children and determine the possible correlation with dental caries. Method: Six primary schools were included. About 1615 children of 4 - 12 years were clinically examined for the presence of black stain (BS) and recorded according to Koch criteria. DMFT and dft were assessed in children using WHO criteria. Data were statisti- cally analyzed using student t test and spearman correlation test. Results: The prevalence of black stain was 8.4%. No correlation was observed between the presence of black stains and age and gender of children. Also, no correlation was found between black stain and dental caries, frequency of teeth brushing and iron supplementation. Conclusion: The prevalence of BS in Egyptian school-children was 8.4%. No association was found between black stain and dental caries, children age and gender. Oral hygiene and iron supplementation may not have a role in promoting BS formation. Keywords: Black Stain; Children; Caries; Iron; Age; Gender Introduction Teeth discoloration is a clinical and esthetic problem which may occur in both primary and permanent dentition. Tooth discol- oration can cause psychological and social problems that reduce self-confidence of children. It differs in etiology, appearance, com- position, location, severity and degree of adherence [1]. Basically, there are three types of tooth discolorations: intrinsic stain that incorporated in tooth structure, extrinsic stain formed on outer tooth surface and related to metallic or nonmetallic factors and internalized stain where extrinsic stain infiltrates through the de- fects in the tooth structure [2]. Black tooth stain (BS) is an extrinsic discoloration. The attrac- tion of materials to tooth surface is crucial to its formation. How- ever, the mechanism that determines the adhesion strength is not clearly understood. These attractive forces include electrostatic and van der Waals forces, hydration forces, hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic interactions [2]. BS is diagnosed clinically as pigmented, dark lines parallel to the gingival margin or as dark dots extending beyond the cervical third of the crown [3]. Several studies have been conducted to iden- tify the etiological factors of BS. It is considered a special form of dental plaque because it contains an insoluble ferric sulfide and a high content of calcium and phosphate. Chemical analysis of black stain using wavelength dispersive spectrometry showed high con- centration of sulfur and copper/iron [4]. Also, a higher level of iron in BS compared to standard plaque was confirmed using coupled plasma-mass spectrometry [5]. Citation: Ibrahim H El-Kalla and Hanaa Mahmoud Shalan. “Black Stains in Children and its Correlation to Dental Caries”. Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 5.1 (2021): 14-19.