Pattern and Severity of Early Childhood Caries among Preschool Children in Northern Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACTObjectives: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a devastating form of dental decay with multi-factorial origin. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the prevalence and related risk factors of ECC in preschool children of urban Bangalore (India)Methods: A random sample of 1,500 children aged between 8 and 48 months were selected from various parts of urban Bangalore. The status of dental caries was recorded according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Information regarding oral hygiene practices, feeding habits, socio-economic status, birth weight, and educational status of the mother was obtained through a structured questionnaire given to mothers of preschool children. The data was subjected to statistical analysis using the Statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 12Results: The prevalence of ECC in preschool children was 27.5%, while the mean deft was 0.854. ECC increased significantly with age. Children whose mothers had no schooling and those who belonged to low socioeconomic group showed higher caries prevalence. A significant increase in caries prevalence was found in children accustomed to the practice of on-demand breast feeding and bottle feeding at night. Caries also increased significantly when snacks were consumed between meals. However, increased frequency of tooth-brushing, parental supervision, use of a baby toothbrush, and fluoridated dentifrice significantly decreased caries prevalenceConclusion: ECC is a serious public health problem in this population and measures to increase awareness should be undertaken. The target candidates for oral health promotion programs should include mothers, general dentists, pediatricians, nurses, primary care health workers, care-takers at day-care centers and gynecologists. (Eur J Dent 2012;6:141-152)

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Socio-behavioural factors and early childhood caries: a cross-sectional study of preschool children in central Trinidad

BMC Oral Health ◽

10.1186/1472-6831-13-30 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 13 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Rahul Naidu ◽

June Nunn ◽

Alan Kelly

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Preschool Children ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Behavioural Factors ◽

Childhood Caries

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Association of Feeding Methods and Streptococcus mutans Count with Early Childhood Caries: A Cross-sectional Study

International Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1420 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 119-125 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Manjunath P Puranik ◽

Deepa Bullappa ◽

KR Sowmya ◽

T Nagarathnamma

Keyword(s):

Early Childhood ◽

Streptococcus Mutans ◽

Early Childhood Caries ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Caries Experience ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mothers And Children ◽

Feeding Methods ◽

Childhood Caries

ABSTRACT Introduction Early childhood caries (ECC) is a virulent form of dental caries that can destroy the primary dentition of toddlers and preschool children. The aim was to determine the relationship of feeding methods and oral Streptococcus mutans count in 3- to 5-year-old children with ECC. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in children aged 3 to 5 years. Participating mothers were interviewed regarding child's demographic profile, educational level and socioeconomic status of parents, past medical and dental history of the mother and child, child's feeding habits, and dietary habits and oral hygiene practices of mother and child. Clinical examination for dental caries was done using the World Health Organization criteria (1997). Salivary samples of mother–child pair were collected to determine the pH, flow rate, and S. mutans count. Statistical tests, such as Student's t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation were applied. Results Out of 150 mother–child pair, statistically significant difference in the caries experience was found between mothers and children with high and low S. mutans count. Moderate but statistically significant negative correlation was found between mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth of mothers and mean decayed, extracted and filled teeth (deft) of children with high S. mutans count. Regarding deft, there was no statistically significant difference between children who were exclusively breast fed (7.85 ± 2.94), exclusively bottle-fed (8.67 ± 3.98), and both breast and bottle-fed (7.77 ± 2.91). Conclusion The mean caries experience of mothers and children was 2.66 ± 2.01 and 7.82 ± 2.94 respectively, with decayed component being maximum. Moderate and significant correlation (r = 0.5) was found between S. mutans of mothers and children in saliva. Significant negative correlation was found between mothers and children with high S. mutans count (r = –0.0284; p = 0.046). How to cite this article Bullappa D, Puranik MP, Sowmya KR, Nagarathnamma T. Association of Feeding Methods and Streptococcus mutans Count with Early Childhood Caries: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2017;10(2):119-125.

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