By the time the embryo is eight weeks old, there are ten buds on the upper and lower arches that will eventually become the primary (deciduous) dentition.

However, it is not extremely rare for one or more primary teeth to be retained beyond this age, sometimes well into adulthood, often because its secondary tooth failed to develop.

The primary teeth are important for the development of the child's speech, for the child's smile and play a role in chewing of food, although children who have had their primary teeth removed (usually as a result of dental caries or dental injuries) can still eat and chew to a certain extent.

Dental caries, also known as tooth decay and cavities, is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases among children worldwide.

Medicaments used in DPC include calcium hydroxide and alternates such as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA).

Pulpotomy is the most frequently used vital pulp therapy technique for deep dental caries in primary teeth.

This type of crown is pressed over a decayed tooth without any preparation, local anaesthetic or caries removal, also termed the Hall technique.

However, studies have shown that the risk of both major and minor failures along with pain in the long term was comparatively lower using PMCs as opposed to conventional restorations.

Patients who had crowns fitted using the Hall technique also experienced noticeably less discomfort at the time of the appointment, relative to fillings.

Zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) may be the best choice for filling in the root canals after pulpectomy in primary teeth, but more evidence is needed to confirm the superiority.

[5] It is unclear which pulp therapy (i.e. IPC, DPC, pulpotomy, pulpectomy) is the most effective, as there are no studies directly comparing these treatment options.

The choice of therapy should be made based on the removal of caries-affected dentin, whether there is a pulp exposure, adverse effects, clinical expertise, and patient preference.

Although shedding of a milk tooth is predominantly associated with positive emotions such as pride and joy by the majority of the children, socio-cultural factors (such as parental education, religion or country of origin) affect the various emotions children experience during the loss of their first primary tooth.

In medieval Scandinavia there was a similar tradition, surviving to the present day in Iceland, of tannfé, 'tooth-money', a gift to a child when it cuts its first tooth.

[13] In France and in French-speaking Belgium, this character is called la petite souris, 'The Little Mouse'.

In Turkey, Cyprus, and Greece, children traditionally throw their fallen baby teeth onto the roof of their house while making a wish.

This tradition is based on the fact that the teeth of mice grow for their entire lives, a characteristic of all rodents.

The Sri Lanka, tradition is to throw the baby teeth onto the roof or a tree in the presence of an Indian palm squirrel.

In some parts of India, young children offer their discarded baby teeth to the sun, sometimes wrapped in a tiny rag of cotton turf.

It may originate in a pre-Islamic offering and certainly dates back to at least the 13th century, when Izz bin Hibat Allah Al Hadid mentions it.