Risk factors of oral Helicobacter pylori infection among children in two kindergartens in Suzhou and the effects of oral cleaning on reducing oral Helicobacter pylori infection

Abstract

This work aimed to identify the risk factors ofHelicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in preschool children and provide effective measures for the prevention and reduction of the incidence ofH. pyloriinfections. A total of 204 children from two kindergartens in Suzhou city were recruited through a questionnaire survey. Risk factors were selected through the single factor paired data χ² test and multiple factor Logistic regression analysis. Oral and gastricH. pyloriinfections were detected by using H. pylori saliva detection (HPS) and ¹³C-urea breath test (¹³C-UBT). Special toothpaste for H. pylori control was selected for oral cleaning. OralH. pyloriinfection rates at 2 months after special toothpaste treatment were examined by using HPS. The high-risk factors ofH. pyloriinfections among preschool children included poor personal hygiene habits, such as the nibbling of fingers and the avoidance of hand-washing before meals, diet, and parent's history of stomach disease.Among the 204 subjects enrolled in this study, 158 (77.45%), 37 (18.14%), and 28 (13.73%) were HPS positive, ¹³C-UBT positive, and HPS and ¹³C-UBT positive, respectively. The incidence of oralH. pyloriinfections was significantly higher than that of gastric H. pyloriinfections (P<0.01).The positive rate of infections significantly decreased after special toothpaste treatment (P<0.01). This result indicates that the intervention was effective. Children must receive education on good eating habits. Individualized dining habits or the use of public chopsticks must be implemented. H. pyloriinfections must be detected as early as possible. Specific toothpaste for oral cleaning must be selected. These approaches could drastically prevent or reduce theincidence of H. pyloriinfections among preschool children.