Dental caries in children on deciduous dentition: art and socioeconomic aspect

Abstract

Aim: Determine the prevalence and incidence of dental caries in children´s deciduous teeth, who were treated with ART technique. Methods: In T1, 62 children were examined for being between 3 and 6 years of age. A questionnaire was applied to the parents or guardians of the children involved in the research, to analyze their knowledge about eating habits and oral hygiene. An intra-oral examination of children from 3 to 6 years old was carried out and dental treatment was performed by the ART technique. Six months after,(T2), the clinical examination was redone to investigate the stability of restorations. Results: In T1, 94 caries cavities were found in 19 children and 86 were recommended for restoration with ART. In T2, 58 restorations were damaged or lost and 15 children had 20 new caries cavities. Conclusion: The prevalence of dental caries in the deciduous dentition was 38.8% and the incidence was 31.9%. In T2, the majority restorations class I and II were damaged or lost. ART technique is an option, despite the high failure in ART, especially for child population with deciduous teeth that has limited access to dental services. However, restorations should be supervised and healthy eating habits implemented.