Abstract
Objective: To relate the occurrence of severe childhood caries with nutritional, socioeconomic and behavioral factors among preschool children. Material and Methods: This cross-sectional study included 111 children aged 18-36 months who sought dental care in basic health units of Sao Luis, Brazil. The oral health status was measured by the DMFT index (number of decayed, missing and filled teeth), IPV/ISG. Socioeconomic, nutritional and behavioral data were collected through a questionnaire applied to parents. Caries Group was defined as DMFT ≥ 1. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and Fisher exact test. Poisson regression models and incidence rate ratio (IRR) were used for multivariate analysis, adopting significance level of 5% and confidence interval (CI) of 95%. Results: It was observed that 61 children (55%) were free from caries and 50 (45%) had the disease. In the Caries Group, 38 (76%) had white spot lesions, 70% had the habit of consuming sweets between meals (p=0.04) and the sucrose intake frequency was considered high (3x daily). After multivariate analysis, age (IRR=1.05, 95%CI=1.03 to 1.07, p <0.001) and consumption of sweets (IRR=1.46, 95%CI=1.11 to 1.92 p=0.006) were associated with increased incidence of caries. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that frequent exposure to sugars in the form of sweets between meals, lack of guidance of mothers on oral hygiene and increased age were determining factors for the occurrence of severe childhood caries.
Highlights
Severe childhood caries (CGI) is defined as the presence of one or more carious tooth surfaces, lost or any restored deciduous tooth up to 71 months of age [1,2]
The findings of this study suggest that frequent exposure to sugars in the form of sweets between meals, lack of guidance of mothers on oral hygiene and increased age were determining factors for the occurrence of severe childhood caries
The greater access to sucrose in the first months after eruption of different dental groups, the greater the chance of participation of this group of microorganisms as potential colonizers, which possibly will contribute to increased disease prevalence [5,6]
Summary
Severe childhood caries (CGI) is defined as the presence of one or more carious tooth surfaces (cavitated or not), lost (due to caries) or any restored deciduous tooth up to 71 months of age [1,2]. The early introduction of sugar facilitates the development and colonization of new tooth surfaces by cariogenic microorganisms, especially Streptococcus mutans. The participation of these microorganisms in the oral environment reflects, at least partially, the eating habits of the individual. The greater access to sucrose in the first months after eruption of different dental groups, the greater the chance of participation of this group of microorganisms as potential colonizers, which possibly will contribute to increased disease prevalence [5,6]
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