en Dentistry Dentistry Original Research Original Research <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">Background: </span></span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">Dental caries is a serious health condition in children. Poor diet, poor oral hygiene, and unique anatomy of the primary teeth can all contribute to the development of caries in primary teeth. Developmental structural defects in teeth during the fetal period and the first year after birth are believed to increase caries susceptibility. This study aimed to assess the correlation of the Apgar score with dental caries in 3- to 5-year-old Iranian children. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; Methods:</span></span></b><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> This retrospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at the Pediatric Dental Clinic of Tehran Dental School in 2022. A total of 123 eligible children between 3-5 years were enrolled. The parents were requested to fill out a checklist regarding the information of demographics, birth and infancy condition and Apgar score of children. The children underwent clinical dental examination, and their dmft was recorded. Data were analyzed by the Pearson and regression tests. </span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">P</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> values < 0.1 were considered statistically significant.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Results:</b> The Pearson test showed that the 1-minute (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">P</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.000) and 5-minute (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">P</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.000) Apgar scores had a significant correlation with dmft. The regression analysis of demographic and birth factors revealed significant correlations between duration of breastfeeding (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">P</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.066) and age of initiation of toothbrushing (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">P</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.019) with dmft. Also, birth weight (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">P</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.026) and mother&rsquo;s educational level (</span></span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">P</span><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"> = 0.090) had significant correlations with the Apgar score. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal">&nbsp;&nbsp; <b>Conclusion:</b> The results indicated a significant correlation between the Apgar score and dental caries. Thus, newborns with lower Apgar scores are recommended to receive more regular oral and dental care services. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:13pt"><span style="text-justify:kashida"><span style="text-kashida:0%"><span style="text-autospace:none"><span new="" roman="" style="font-family:" times=""><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-style:normal"></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br> &nbsp; Apgar Score, Dental Caries, Children, Pediatric Patients 303 308 http://mjiri.iums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-8355-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Amin Keykhaie Afusi keykhaie9@gmail.com 200319475328460088987 0009-0006-8698-9244 No School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Marzieh Salehi Shahrabi salehipegah7@gmail.com 200319475328460088988 200319475328460088988 No Department of Paediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mehrsa Paryab drmparyab@yahoo.com 200319475328460088989 200319475328460088989 Yes Department of Paediatric Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Mohammad Javad Kharrazi Fard mj_khf@yahoo.com 200319475328460088990 200319475328460088990 No Dental Research Center, Dentistry Research Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran