scholarly journals Prevalence of Iron Deficiency Anemia in Children with Severe Early Childhood Caries

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 219-225
Author(s):  
Deepa Gurunathan ◽  
A. Swathi ◽  
M. Senthil Kumar

Dental caries is an international public health challenge, especially amongst young children. Early childhood caries (ECC) is a serious public health problem in both developing and industrialised countries. ECC can begin early in life, progresses rapidly in those who are at high risk, and often goes untreated. Its consequences can affect the immediate and long-term quality of life of the child's family and can have significant social and economic consequences beyond the immediate family as well. ECC can be a particularly virulent form of caries, beginning soon after dental eruption, developing on smooth surfaces, progressing rapidly, and having a lasting detrimental impact on the dentition. Children experiencing caries as infants or toddlers have a much greater probability of subsequent caries in both the primary and permanent dentitions. Iron deficiency being the most common nutritional deficiency in childhood is often seen associated with severe caries destruction. Lack of iron is one of the most common dietary deficiency observed worldwide particularly in developing countries. In some instances this deficiency is alleviated by supplementary foods with added iron salts. In many countries where the iron deficiency is apparent, the prevalence of dental caries is high.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 8-9
Author(s):  
Lina María Villegas ◽  
Judy Elena Villavicencio ◽  
Adolfo Contreras

Early childhood caries (ECC) affect children less than 71 months of age (1) and it represents a public health problem in countries worldwide (2–4). The mean ECC prevalence in United Nations Countries was 23.8% in children younger than 36 months and 57.3% in children aged 36 to 71 months. East Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean were the worst affected by ECC among children aged 36 to 71 months (5). Dental caries pertains to a group of diseases that are estimated “complex” or “multifactorial,” with no single origin pathway (6) and it is resulted by the interaction of bacteria, mainly Streptococci mutans (SM) and  actobacilli (LB), and sugary foods on tooth enamel (6,7). Additionally, there must be a lack of oral hygiene and lack of use of fluoride (8).


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harshini Nivetha Easwaran ◽  
Anitha Annadurai ◽  
M.S. Muthu ◽  
Aruna Sharma ◽  
Sneha S. Patil ◽  
...  

Identification of the association between Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and Iron Deficiency Anemia (IDA) will aid pediatricians and pediatric dentists to enhance health promotion measures to reduce the related morbidity in children. This systematic review aims to determine an evidence based association between ECC and IDA. A systematic search was carried out from MEDLINE via PubMed, EMBASE, LILACS, Cochrane Oral Health Group’s Specialised Register, CINAHL via EBSCO, Web of Science and Scopus up to May 2020. Hand searching and grey literature screening were also conducted. Cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies in English language which assessed the association was included. Two reviewers independently assessed the study quality and extracted the outcome data. A total of 1434 studies were identified. Fourteen studies qualified for qualitative review and seven of them for a meta-analysis. In comparison with children not affected by ECC, those affected had an increased likelihood of IDA (OR = 6.07 (3.61, 10.21). The meta- analysis showed no statistical difference when comparing blood parameters (Hb, MCV and Serum ferritin) in children with and without ECC. This systematic review demonstrates an association between ECC and increased odds of IDA rather than it being the cause for IDA. Further longitudinal studies with robust methodology are required to determine an evidence based association.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Niharika Kotian ◽  
Deepa Gurunathan

Objective: Early childhood caries is the presence of dental caries in a child upto seventy one months of age. Saliva plays a major role in maintaining good oral health. The composition of saliva acts as a marker for oral health and the salivary proteins help in modulating the oral microflora in the oral cavity. Some salivary biomarkers help in detecting caries risk and can also predict their prognosis. Ferritin is one of the major biomarkers present in the saliva which acts as an iron binding protein and also as a monitoring tool in children suffering from iron deficiency. The ferritin levels are in increased in serum as well as in saliva to balance the deficiency of iron in the body. Material and methods: Sixty children were selected for the study aged between three to six years. The saliva sample was collected using standard spit method in a sterile container and Ferritin was tested in the samples by Chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay(CMIA). Results: Salivary ferritin was found to be higher in the saliva of children with early childhood caries(mean value= 5.867) than in children without early childhood caries(mean value= 3.412). Conclusion: A direct association is present between salivary ferritin levels and dental caries. Increased level of ferritin is observed in children with Early childhood caries. Clinical relevance: The level of salivary ferritin is found to be raised in the present study in children with Early childhood caries. The exact mechanism is although not known it can be assumed that the children with early childhood caries might have deficiency of iron which has led to the increased amount of salivary ferritin in the saliva.   Keywords Salivary ferritin; Early childhood caries; Salivary proteins; Saliva; Iron deficiency


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faheema Kimmie-Dhansay ◽  
Robert Barrie ◽  
Sudeshni Naidoo ◽  
Tina Sharon Roberts

BACKGROUND Young children are at the highest risk of developing dental caries as they at high risk for dental caries as they have a lack of autonomy over their diet and oral hygiene practices. Dental caries develops over time due to demineralization of tooth substance (enamel) resulting from acid production of bacterial metabolism from sugars. Early-onset of dental caries often results in asymptomatic presentation, but if left untreated, it can result in severe pain, infection and dentoalveolar abscesses. Early childhood caries (ECC) is defined as dental caries in children aged six years and younger and is a significant public health problem in South Africa. According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, untreated dental caries of primary teeth affects 532 million children. Untreated dental caries has many detrimental effects which can affect the physical development and reduce the quality of life of affected children. Furthermore, long term untreated dental caries can result in school absenteeism, low BMI and poor educational outcomes. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence and severity of ECC in South Africa in children under 6 years of age. METHODS All cross-sectional documenting the prevalence and severity of dental disease (decayed, missing and filled teeth scores) will be included. Various databases will be searched for eligible studies, and those included will be done by using prespecified inclusion criteria. Only studies conducted on South African children who are aged 6 years and under, will be included. There will be no restriction on the time nor language of publication. The quality of all eligible studies will be analyzed by a risk of bias tool developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute. The results will be presented narratively, and if possible, a meta-analysis will be conducted. RESULTS The protocol is registered with PROSPERO. The literature search was conducted in November 2018 and was repeated in November 2020. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study will be used to advise stakeholders of the prevalence and severity of dental disease in children less than 6 years of age in South Africa.


2021 ◽  
pp. 238008442110021
Author(s):  
O.O. Olatosi ◽  
A.A. Alade ◽  
T. Naicker ◽  
T. Busch ◽  
A. Oyapero ◽  
...  

Introduction: Malnutrition in children is one of the most prevalent global health challenges, and malnourished children have a higher risk of death from childhood diseases. Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Complications from ECC such as pain, loss of tooth/teeth, and infection can undermine a child’s nutrition and growth. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the severity of decay, missing, and filled tooth (dmft) by nutritional status using the z scores of the anthropometric measurements: height for age (HFA), weight for age (WFA), weight for height (WFH), and body mass index for age (BMIA) among children with ECC in Nigeria. Study Design: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 5 local government areas (LGAs) in Lagos State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used. Results: A total of 273 cases of ECC were included in the analyses (mean age 4.19 ± 0.96 y). Overall, the mean dmft was 3.04 ± 2.28, and most (96%) were accounted for by untreated decay. The distribution of dmft within the different z score categories of BMIA (<–3 = severely wasted, –2 to –3 = wasted, –2 to +2 = normal, +2 to +3 = overweight and >+3 = obese) showed the highest dmft scores among the combined severely wasted and wasted groups, lowest among children with normal z scores, and intermediate in the overweight and obese groups. There was a significant negative correlation between BMIA z score, WFH z score, and dmft ( r = −0.181, P < 0.05 and r = −0.143, P < 0.05, respectively). However, the correlations between HFA z score, WFA z score, and dmft were positive but not significant ( r = 0.048, P = 0.44 and r = 0.022, P = 0.77, respectively). Conclusion: Our study showed an increased severity of dental caries among severely wasted or wasted children with ECC compared to those of normal or overweight. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results from this study will raise awareness among clinicians and policy makers on the need for a primary prevention program for early childhood caries in countries with high burden of malnutrition and limited resources. Also, it will help draw the attention of clinicians to the caries status of malnourished children that can be managed to improve the nutritional outcomes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 252-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priya Subramaniam ◽  
Revathy Suresh

Objective: Dental caries is both an infectious and transmissible disease. Maternal transfer of Mutans Streptococci occurs at an early age and is important in the initiation of dental caries in children. The aim of this study was to identify certain strains of Streptococcus mutans in mother-child pairs, of children with early childhood caries. Study design: Sixty mother-child pairs of healthy children aged 18–36 months were selected. Mothers with high levels of Streptococcus mutans in their saliva and only children with ECC were included. Dental plaque samples were collected from mother-child pairs. The plaque samples were stored, transferred to the laboratory and analyzed for Streptococcus mutans strains c, f, e and k, present in mother-child pairs using Real time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique. Data obtained was subjected to statistical analysis for level of similarity in Streptococcus mutans strains present in mother-child pairs. Results: A similar distribution of Streptococcus mutans strains c, f and k was identified in 28 mother-child pairs. Streptococcus mutans strain e was seen in 18 pairs. Conclusion: Less than 50% of mother-child pairs showed similarity in distribution of Streptococcus mutans strains.


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