Assessment of potential risk factors associated with early childhood caries in a subpopulation of children from Thrace region of Turkey

Introduction: Early childhood caries (ECC) is considered a global health concern due to its high prevalence and effect on the overall health of children. Aim: The present study aimed to investigate prevalence of ECC and associated risk factors in a Turkish subpopulation of children. Materials and methods: Five hundred forty-two (299 boys, 243 girls) children were enrolled in this study. Caries experience on primary teeth was measured using decayed or filled teeth (dft) index and the presence of caries was diagnosed if dft >0. A structured questionnaire was employed to mothers through interview. Results: ECC was significantly associated with increased age (OR=1.032; 95% CI, 1.018–1.047; p<0.001), low level of family income (OR=2.91; 95% CI, 1.567–5.404; p=0.001), low educational level of mother (OR=2.602; 95% CI, 1.509–4.485), night-time frequent breastfeeding (OR=1.695; CI, 1.07–2.685; p=0.024) and bottle feeding with sugary beverages (OR=1.689; CI, 1.002–2.847; p=0.049). First dental visit age (OR=1.482; 95% CI, 1.254–1.753; p<0.001) and initial age of tooth brushing (OR=2.062; 95% CI, 1.324–3.209; p=0.001) were found to be protective against ECC development. Conclusions: The current study highlights potential factors that are commonly associated with the risk of developing ECC. From the perspective of public health, a better understanding of socioeconomic, environmental, maternal and behavioural risks factors for ECC will aid improving maternal and child-based health promotion and preventive programmes.

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Global Early Childhood Caries: A Review of Literature

Nepal Medical College Journal ◽

10.3126/nmcj.v23i3.40418 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (3) ◽

pp. 264-271

Author(s):

Ashish Shrestha ◽

Ha Hoang ◽

Suzanne Gardner ◽

Archana Pradhan ◽

Leonard Crocombe

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Parental Education ◽

Developed Countries ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Health Concern ◽

African Countries ◽

Global Prevalence ◽

Childhood Caries

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a major public health concern in the world. There is a high prevalence of ECC in developing countries. The review aimed to synthesise the published literature on the global prevalence of ECC and its associated factors. Researches conducted in Asian, European, American and African countries were included. The review included observational cross-sectional, case-control, cohort studies, and clinical trials. The ECC varies across countries and the continents. Several studies showed inequitable distribution of ECC within regions of a country. The result of this review provides global prevalence of ECC and associated risk factors. Despite the variation of prevalence of ECC, it remains a universal burden. Studies have demonstrated that even in developed countries, ECC represents a significant burden in preschool children. The S. mutans and , oral hygiene habits, breastfeeding and bottle feeding along with factors such as parental education are major risk factors for ECC. There have been limited studies conducted on ECC in Nepal.

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Reshuffling the Risk Factors of Severe Early Childhood Caries

10.20944/preprints201611.0005.v2 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Noha Kabil ◽

Sherif Eltaweil

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Dental Visit ◽

Preventive Program ◽

Common Chronic Disease ◽

Night Feeding ◽

Severe Early Childhood Caries ◽

Childhood Caries

Severe early childhood caries remains the most common chronic disease affecting children. Its multifactorial etiology has established a controversy about which risk factors were more significant to its development. Therefore our study aimed through meticulous statistical analysis to arrange the “well agreed upon” common risk factors in order of significance, to aid the clinician in tailoring an adequate preventive program for this affected age group. The study reshuffled the risk factors contributing to severe early childhood caries and placed them in the order of their significance as follows: snacking of sugary food several times a day, increased number of siblings to 3 or more, night feeding, child self-employed brushing, mother caries experience, 2 siblings, on demand feeding, once/day sugary food, sharing utensils, 1 Sibling, male gender, father’s education, late first child dental visit, brushing time, mother’s education, no dental visit, decreased brushing frequency & no night brushing.

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Bacterial, behavioral and environmental factors associated with early childhood caries

Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry ◽

10.17796/jcpd.26.2.t6601j3618675326 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 165-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 71

Author(s):

Francisco Ramos-Gomez ◽

Jane Weintraub ◽

Stuart Gansky ◽

Charles Hoover ◽

John Featherstone

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Family Income ◽

Antibiotic Use ◽

Mutans Streptococci ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Healthy Population ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Childhood Caries

The goals of this cross-sectional study were to characterize and compare demographic, behavioral, and environmental factors potentially associated with early childhood caries (ECC) and to assess salivary levels of mutans streptococci (MS) and lactobacilli (LB) in underserved, predominantly Hispanic children. One hundred forty-six children aged 3 to 55 months with a range of caries experience were identified and examined. ECC was primarily associated with the presence of MS and lack of access to dental care. Salivary MS levels among young children with ECC were higher than would be expected in a dentally healthy population, but lower than levels reported among older children at high risk for caries.After adjustment for age, children with log10 MS ≥ 3.0 or log10 LB ≥ 1.5 were about five times as likely (OR=4.9, 95%CI=2.0,12.0) to have ECC than those with lower bacterial levels. This study demonstrated a significant association between relatively low cariogenic bacterial levels and dental caries in infants and toddlers. Antibiotic use, exposure to lead, and anemia were not significantly associated with the number of decayed and filled surfaces or decayed and filled teeth. ECC correlated significantly with child's age and lack of dental insurance of the children, as well as inversely with both family income and the educational level of the mother of the child.

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Early Childhood Caries Is Associated with Genetic Variants in Enamel Formation and Immune Response Genes

Caries Research ◽

10.1159/000362825 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 70-77 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Zerrin Abbasoğlu ◽

İlknur Tanboğa ◽

Erika Calvano Küchler ◽

Kathleen Deeley ◽

Megan Weber ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Environmental Factors ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Design Data ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Cross Sectional Design ◽

Genetic And Environmental Factors ◽

Childhood Caries

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a chronic, infectious disease that affects the primary dentition of young children. It is the result of an imbalance of risk factors and protective factors that influence the disease. The aim of this study was to assess genetic and environmental factors that may contribute to ECC. Two hundred and fifty-nine unrelated children were evaluated using a cross-sectional design. Data on oral habits were obtained through a questionnaire, and caries experience data were collected by clinical examination. Twenty-three markers in 10 genes were studied. Genotyping of the selected polymorphisms was carried out by real-time PCR. Regression analyses were performed comparing individuals with and without caries experience. Of 259 subjects, 123 were caries free. The genotype TT in ALOX15 (rs7217186) was a risk factor for ECC, whereas the genotypes GG in ENAM (rs1264848), AG and GG in KLK4 (rs198968), CT in LTF (rs4547741), and GG in TUFT1 (rs3790506) were protective for EEC. In conclusion, environmental factors and gene interactions can act as protective or risk factors for ECC. These factors together contribute to the presence and severity of the disease.

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Factors Influencing Early Childhood Caries of Cleft Lip and/or Palate Children Aged 18 to 36 Months in Southern Thailand

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal ◽

10.1597/07-017.1 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 468-472 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Teerapong Mutarai ◽

Wipapun Ritthagol ◽

Jaranya Hunsrisakhun

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Oral Health ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Cleft Lip ◽

Feeding Habit ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Night Time ◽

Oral Clefts ◽

Southern Thailand ◽

Childhood Caries

Objective: To clarify whether oral health care behavior or oral cleft status influences early childhood caries in southern Thailand cleft children. Design: A comparative cross-sectional study. Patients, Participants: A total of 138 southern Thai children aged 18 to 36 months comprised two groups of 69 participants, one with cleft lip and/or palate and controls with no cleft. Methods: All children were examined for early childhood caries by using the severity (DMFT/tooth) index. A structured interview was conducted among caregivers, and then multiple regression analysis was applied. Results: Children with oral clefts had a larger number of early childhood caries (ECC) and poorer feeding habits than those without. From a structured questionnaire, the caregivers of children with clefts exercised poorer oral health behavior than those of the controls, but the cleft status was not an important factor for caries prevalence when oral health behaviors were controlled. Multivariate analysis showed that sweetened bottled milk consumption, night-time feeding habit, and frequent sugary food consumption were the variables significantly associated with dental caries. Conclusions: Children with oral clefts in southern Thailand had greater caries experience when compared with noncleft subjects. However, cleft status was not significant for ECC, and night-time feeding habit was the most important factor for higher ECC in children with clefts.

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Reshuffling the Risk Factors of Severe Early Childhood Caries

10.20944/preprints201611.0005.v1 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Noha Kabil ◽

Sherif Eltaweil

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Preventive Program ◽

Common Chronic Disease ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Food And Beverage ◽

Severe Early Childhood Caries ◽

Childhood Caries

Severe early childhood caries remains the most common chronic disease affecting children. .Its multifactorial etiology lead to the controversy about which risk factors were more significant to its development. Therefore our study aimed through meticulous statistical analysis to arrange the “well agreed upon” common risk factors in order of significance to aid the clinician in tailoring an adequate preventive program for this affected age group. The study concluded that the risk factors contributing to severe early childhood caries in order of their significance were Night feeding, On demand feeding, Mother’s Employment, Mother’s caries Experience, Starting age of brushing, Mother’s education, Sharing utensils, Child’s first dental visit, Number of siblings, Brushing frequency, Sweetened food and beverage consumption, Sweetened beverages, and at last the snacking frequency.

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Feeding practices and early childhood caries among children with primary dentition

Journal of Kathmandu Medical College ◽

10.3126/jkmc.v10i2.40017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 74-79

Author(s):

Sunanda Sundas ◽

Barun Kumar Sah ◽

Neha Dhakal ◽

Amita Rai ◽

Neera Joshi

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Feeding Practices ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Validated Questionnaire ◽

Night Feeding ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Childhood Caries

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) is major oral health problem of young children. Risk factors for ECC are poor oral hygiene and feeding practices. Prevalence and severity of ECC is increasing with change in lifestyle and diet pattern in developing countries. Objectives: To assess the association between feeding practices and severity of early childhood caries in preschool children. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted with convenient sample of 96 children up to six years age in Peoples Dental College from July to December 2020. Clinical examination included the recording of dental caries (dmft) using WHO criteria. The self-validated questionnaire consisting seven questions about feeding practices was asked to mothers. The Chi-square test was performed to determine association between severity of ECC and feeding pattern. Results: Mean dmft was 6.77 ± 5.91. Prevalence of severe-ECC (S-ECC) was highest in youngest age group. Caries experience was similar in breast fed, bottle fed, and mixed. There was no significant difference in non-severe ECC and ECC in relation to duration of breast or bottle feeding but frequency of night feeding was associated with S-ECC. Children given ready-made infant formula solid food had more S-ECC (13, 92%) compared to non-severe ECC (1, 7.1%) which was statistically significant. Children given homemade gram flour food were noted to have less of S-ECC (5, 27.5%) than nonsevere ECC (13, 72.5%) which was statistically significant. Conclusion: Present study revealed that multiple night feeding and weaning with readymade food are significant factors for S-ECC.

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Risk Factors of Early Childhood Caries Among Preschool Children in Eastern Saudi Arabia

Science Progress ◽

10.1177/00368504211008308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 104 (2) ◽

pp. 003685042110083

Author(s):

Sanaa N. Al-Haj Ali ◽

Faisal Alsineedi ◽

Nouf Alsamari ◽

Ghaida Alduhayan ◽

Alaa BaniHani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Saudi Arabia ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Smoking Status ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Childhood Caries

This study aimed to determine the risk factors of early childhood caries (ECC) among preschool children from eastern Saudi Arabia. In this cross-sectional study, 241 carers and their children from 10 daycares were recruited and asked to complete a questionnaire aimed at assessing their sociodemographic profile and oral health-related behaviors. This was followed by a dental examination of the children by two calibrated dentists. Caries status was recorded using the dmft index. Chi-square and logistic regression tests were used to analyze the data ( p < 0.05). The mean dmft of the children was 4.39 (SD ± 4.25). According to logistic regression analysis, children who were bottle-fed between 7 and 12 months (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR): 0.110) or breastfed between 13 and 18 months (AOR: 0.028) were less likely to have ECC than those with a prolonged feeding duration (>18 months). Also, those with smoking carers (AOR: 0.176) were less likely to have ECC than those with nonsmoking carers. On the other hand, children who had working carers, mainly mothers, in the education sector (AOR: 11.105), were more likely to have ECC ( p < 0.05). The risk factors associated with the presence of ECC among preschool children in eastern Saudi Arabia include the mother’s occupation and the carer’s smoking status, as well as feeding practices (particularly bottle feeding). These factors can be modified by encouraging carers to completely wean their children (particularly from the bottle) by 18 months of age and advising working mothers to perform tooth brushing for their children in the morning before they go to work and in the evening before the children go to bed.

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Severe early childhood caries and behavioral risk factors among 3-year-old children in Lithuania

Medicina ◽

10.3390/medicina46020020 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 46 (2) ◽

pp. 135 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Eglė Slabšinskienė ◽

Simona Milčiuvienė ◽

Julija Narbutaitė ◽

Ingrida Vasiliauskienė ◽

Vilija Andruškevičienė ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Tooth Brushing ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

Behavioral Risk Factors ◽

Behavioral Risk ◽

Fluoride Toothpaste ◽

Severe Early Childhood Caries ◽

Childhood Caries

The objective of the present study was to investigate the prevalence and severity of early childhood caries (ECC) and severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) in 3-year-old Lithuanian children. The impact of selected behavioral risk factors on the development of S-ECC was investigated. Material and methods. A total of 950 children were examined in kindergartens. Diagnosis of dental caries followed the WHO criteria. Questionnaires were delivered to mothers of the children with S-ECC and caries-free children. The questions were related to the children’s dietary habits, temperament, oral hygiene, and the use of fluoride toothpaste. Results. The prevalence of ECC was 50.6% with a mean dmft of 2.1 (SD, 0.1) and a mean dmfs of 3.4 (SD, 0.2). The prevalence of S-ECC was 6.5% with a mean dmft of 7.8 (SD, 0.1) and dmfs of 18.1 (SD, 0.6). A significantly higher percentage of children developed S-ECC when they were breast-fed for a period longer than one year, were sleeping with a bottle containing carbohydrates during the night, or were allowed to sip from a bottle either going to sleep or during the day. A significantly higher percentage of mothers having caries-free children knew about risk factors of S-ECC and started tooth brushing after the eruption of the first tooth. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding the use of fluoride toothpaste. Conclusions. Improper infant bottle-feeding habits and no tooth brushing were found to be significant for the development of S-ECC among 3-year-old Lithuanian children.

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Association between the mode of delivery and the occurance of early childhood caries in children from 2 to 5 years of the maternal chilhood center Pachacutec Perú-Korea, Diresa Callao, Perú 2016

REVISTA ODONTOLOGÍA PEDIÁTRICA ◽

10.33738/spo.v16i2.4 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 16 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Laura García-Castro ◽

Guido Perona-Miguel de Priego

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Early Childhood ◽

Child Health ◽

Health Center ◽

Maternal And Child Health ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Mode Of Delivery ◽

Bottle Feeding ◽

And Child Health ◽

Childhood Caries

Early childhood caries (ECC) continues to be the biggest oral health problem in developing countries. Several studiesreport ECC prevalence in children aged 3 years from 40% to 65.7% and in children 5 and 6 years of age up to86%. There are multiple risk factors associated with ECC, such as: cariogenic diet, poor oral hygiene, low salivaryflow, low parental socioeconomic status, low parental education, etc. But there is also a “mode of delivery” factorthat is not being considered and could be important and determinant for the occurrence of ECC.Objective: To determine if there is an association between the mode of delivery and the presence of ECC in childrenaged 2 to 5 years of the Maternal and Child Health Center Pachacutec PERU-KOREA, DIRESA CALLAO2016.Materials and Methods: An observational, descriptive, cross-sectional and prospective study was conductedwith children attending the PERU-COREA Maternal and Child Health Center (n=125) during September to Decemberof 2016. A validated questionnaire was used for socio-demographic characteristics and risk factors forECC. An intraoral clinical examination of the children was also performed.Results: The prevalence of ECC in the sample evaluated was 60%. A statistically significant association wasfound between the mode of delivery and the presence of ECC (p <0.001), as well as the covariables oral hygieneindex, frequency of carbohydrate consumption, type of lactation, bottle feeding at night and education of themother, all with a p <0.005. Conclusion: Children born by cesarean section are more at risk of ECC than childrenborn by vaginal delivery

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