Abstract
Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a global oral health problem, and Peru may be one of the countries with high prevalence of untreated ECC in South America. In this study, we constructed an epidemiologic profile of ECC in Peru through a comprehensive review of published data. The prevalence of ECC, risk factors for it, its impact on child development, and public oral health interventions on ECC have been included. The study revealed extremely high rates of ECC in Peru and significant oral-health disparities. Risk factors for ECC were poverty, high sugar consumption, and low oral health literacy. However, the number of studies is limited and their quality questionable. Oral health has not received high public-health priority in Peru. However, in recent years, new regulations and evidence-based documents (the first Clinical Practice Guideline for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Caries in Children; the Guideline for Children's healthy Growth and Development; the Law on Healthy Diet; and the Manual on Food Advertising) give hope for the future of infants' oral health in the nation.
Highlights
Childhood Caries (ECC) is a global oral health problem, and Peru may be one of the countries with high prevalence of untreated Early Childhood Caries (ECC) in South America
It is noteworthy that, overall, higher prevalence was found in underserved groups, a finding that is supported by a recent systematic review of parental factors influencing ECC in developing nations, in which socioeconomic status was found significantly associated with ECC in 13 studies (21)
Among the criteria used in national studies, we found these: WHO, WHO plus initial non-cavitated lesions, and International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) (Table 1)
Summary
Childhood Caries (ECC) is a global oral health problem, and Peru may be one of the countries with high prevalence of untreated ECC in South America. We constructed an epidemiologic profile of ECC in Peru through a comprehensive review of published data. The prevalence of ECC, risk factors for it, its impact on child development, and public oral health interventions on ECC have been included. The study revealed extremely high rates of ECC in Peru and significant oral-health disparities. Risk factors for ECC were poverty, high sugar consumption, and low oral health literacy. Oral health has not received high public-health priority in Peru.
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