Caries Status Of Children Research Articles

Association of maternal food choices with caries status and sugar consumption among preschool children in Vikarabad town

Introduction: Children choose sweet, energy dense foods in preference to more nutritious options. Despite being aware about healthy food, mothers regularly purchase, prepare and allow their children to eat unhealthy food. Aims: To explore the association between the knowledge of mothers of preschool children about making food choices and oral health of their children and to assess the association with their children's sugar consumption and caries status. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 358 mother and child pairs from preschools and Anganwadi centers in the Vikarabad town of Ranga Reddy district in Telangana using simple random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire filled by their mothers who gathered their views on choices about food; a 3-day diet chart and clinical assessment of the children's caries status. Chi-square, t-test and ANOVA were used. Results: Majority of mothers were motivated by their child's preferences (51%), availability and accessibility of food products (19%) and affordability (15%) when making food choices for their children. Though, mothers had a favorable knowledge regarding food choices for their children and about oral health, it was not found to be associated with caries status of their children. However, the association between the sweet scores of the children and their caries status was significant. Conclusion:Though the mothers had favorable knowledge about providing healthy foods to their children, it did not reflect in their behavior when choosing foods. Higher sugar consumption of the children was associated with more dental caries.

Calcium and Inorganic Phosphorous Levels in Stimulated and Unstimulated Saliva in Early Childhood Caries – A Comparative Study

Introduction: Saliva, a chief player in the oral cavity, is determined by its secretion rate and quality to aid either in the development of caries, or its remineralization.6 The ability for saliva to function as a source of calcium and phosphate increases its supportive properties as it influences the precipitation or dissolution of calcium hydroxyapatite (HAP), the principal inorganic component of dental hard tissue. Materials & Methods: 30 healthy children, aged between 3 and 6 years old were screened and recruited for the study at the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry of the A.B Shetty Memorial Institute of Dental Sciences, a constituent of Nitte University. The subjects were clinically examined and scored based on their decayed, missing (due to caries) and filled surfaces (dfs) and were further categorized into two equal groups of 15. Result: In the subjects with Early Childhood Caries (ECC), the mean calcium concentration in samples of unstimulated saliva was 4.2383 ± 0.8594 and in samples of stimulated saliva was 4.1965 ± 0.6240. While, the mean inorganic phosphorous concentration in samples of unstimulated saliva was 3.219 ± 0.8540and in samples of stimulated saliva was 3.0634 ± 0.5470. Conclusion: From this study, we obtained a relationship between calcium, saliva and the caries status of children with the calcium concentration decreasing with increase in the caries status, as well as on stimulation of saliva.

Prevention of early childhood caries (ECC) through parental toothbrushing training and fluoride varnish application: A 24-month randomized controlled trial

ObjectivesTo investigate the effectiveness of hands-on training in parental toothbrushing, with or without semi-annual applications of 5% sodium fluoride varnish in preventing ECC. MethodsStudy was conducted in Hong Kong where water is optimally fluoridated. Children aged 8–23 months were recruited and randomly allocated to one of three groups: Gp 1 – control, one-off oral health education talk to parents; Gp 2 – oral health education talk and parental toothbrushing training, reinforced every 6 months; Gp 3 – semi-annual application of fluoride varnish onto child's teeth in addition to the intervention provided to Gp 2. Clinical examinations of the children and interviews were conducted at baseline and after 24 months to assess the children's dental caries status and toothbrushing behaviour. ResultsOut of the 450 child–parent dyads recruited at baseline, 415 (92%) remained after 24 months. At baseline, 2% of the children had non-cavitated enamel caries lesions and the mean dmft score was 0.03±0.24. Most of the children did not have daily parental toothbrushing (65–73%) and self toothbrushing (86–90%). At 24-month follow-up, including both non-cavitated and cavitated carious lesions, the incidences of ECC in Gp 1 to Gp 3 were 11.9%, 11.8%, and 17.5%, respectively (p>0.05); and the mean new dmft scores in Gp 1 to Gp 3 were 0.3, 0.2, and 0.3, respectively (p>0.05). Proportions of parents who practiced parental toothbrushing twice daily were 62.7%, 60.4%, and 65.7% in Gp 1 to Gp 3, respectively (p>0.05). ConclusionsIn a water fluoridated area, hands-on training in parental toothbrushing, with or without semi-annual application of 5% sodium fluoride varnish may not have additional effect on preventing ECC in young children with low risk of dental caries compared to provision of oral health education to parents. Clinical significanceIn a water fluoridated area, provision of individual oral health education to parents may be sufficient for preventing ECC in young children below age 3. Supplemental training in parental toothbrushing and semi-annual applications of fluoride varnish may not have additional caries prevention effect in young children with low risk of dental caries.

Correlation between early childhood caries and maternal caries status and influence of preventive educational counseling on children′ss. mutanslevels

Aims: This study was carried out to correlate the relationship between early childhood caries and maternal caries status and to investigate the influence of preventive educational counseling on children's Streptococcus mutans levels. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 100 pairs of children of ≤6 years age and their mothers, who reported to the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, SGT Dental College, Gurgaon. The association between mother's education status and socioeconomic status of family were estimated through a self-structured questionnaire. Out of theses 100 children, a total of 30 children whose caries score was 4 or more than 4 were selected for S. mutans salivary level count using Mitis Salivarius Bacitracin agar media. The mothers of these 30 children were given a 30 min educational session regarding prevention of dental caries. Following this the salivary S. mutans levels were again estimated and comparison was done between baseline and posteducational counseling S. mutans levels using paired t -test. Results: Collected data was statistically analyzed using analysis of variance and paired t -test. There was no correlation between the dental caries status of children below and at 6 years of age with that of their mothers. There was an inverse relationship between the education level of mothers and caries status of their children ( P > 0.05). There was no relationship between the socioeconomic status of mothers and caries status of their children. There was a significant decrease in the salivary levels of S. mutans of children after preventive educational counseling of their mothers ( P Conclusion: It can be concluded that, mothers are responsible for children lifestyle behavior and habits and represent the primary information about oral health.

Caries Status of Children and Oral Health Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude of Their Mothers and Schoolteachers in Mathura City

ABSTRACTAimThe study was undertaken to assess the caries status in children of 1st (6 years) and 6th grade (12 years) and knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) of mothers and schoolteachers in Mathura city.Materials and MethodsA total of 872 mothers, 140 schoolteachers, 500 children of grade I and 500 children of grade VI participated in the study. Clinical examinations of grades I and grade VI children were performed. Data on mothers and teachers were collected through personal interviews and selfadministered questionnaires respectively. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05.ResultsAt the age of 6 and 12, the mean decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index was 2.4 and 1.3 respectively. Mothers showed a fair level of knowledge (74.9%) and favorable attitude (70.6%), while maximum schoolteachers showed a good level of knowledge (67.9%) and favorable attitude (57.1%) toward oral health. Schoolteachers, dentists and television were found to be the most important source of dental health information among the schoolteachers and mothers.ConclusionIt is concluded from the study that oral health knowledge of mothers and teachers were found to be fair and good respectively. The schoolteachers knew about the poor dental conditions in children and wanted to become involved in oral health education. Training of the teachers should aim at improving their level of knowledge on oral health.How to cite this articleHaloi R, Ingle NA, Kaur N. Caries Status of Children and Oral Health Behavior, Knowledge and Attitude of Their Mothers and Schoolteachers in Mathura City. J Contemp Dent 2012;2(3):78-83.

Inter-relationship of intelligence-quotient and self-concept with dental caries amongst socially handicapped orphan children

India has been the focus of many health surveys among normal, physically, and mentally handicapped children. However, the data, concerning oral health conditions of socially handicapped children living in orphanages, are scanty. To study the effect of parental inadequacy, environmental deprivation, and emotional disturbances on dental caries through intelligence quotient (IQ) and self-concept in orphan children and also to co-relate dental caries with different levels of IQ and self-concept. The study was carried out amongst socially handicapped children living in orphanages. 100 children in the age group of 10-14 years from orphanages were selected. Malin's Intelligence Scale for Indian Children (MISIC) was used to assess the intelligence quotient; self-concept questionnaire to assess self-concept of the child and recording of dental caries status of children was done as per WHO Index (1997). To assess the relationship of dental caries with IQ, student's unpaired t-test was used and; to find the relationship between self-concept and dental caries, Karl-Pearson's coefficient of co-relation was applied. the children in orphanages had a lower IQ and high caries experience but had an above average self-concept. There was also no co-relation between dental caries and self-concept. Orphan children, being socially handicapped, are at an increased risk for dental caries due to a lower IQ level, parental deprivation, and institutionalization. Moreover, lack of co-relation between dental caries and self-concept could be explained by the fact that dental caries is a lifelong process whereas different dimensions of self-concept are in a state of constant flux.

Correlation between Streptococcus mutans level in saliva and caries status in children

To investigate the distribution pattern of salivary Streptococcus mutans (Sm) level in children and its association with caries status. Three hundred and sixty-five 11- 12-year-old children participated in this study. Scores of decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) for the permanent dentition were recorded. Salivary Sm concentrations were determined by species-specific monoclonal antibodies. Caries-affected children harbored more Sm in saliva [5.53 (1.50, 18.00) x 10(7)/L] than their caries-free counterparts [3.42 (1.60, 8.10) x 10(7)/L] (P = 0.002). Salivary Sm concentration tended to rise with the increase of DMFT score. Spearman's correlation coefficient for Sm concentration was 0.136 (P = 0.010). When salivary Sm concentration reached 8.64 x 10(7)/L, children's caries experience doubled. Salivary Sm level has a skewed distribution among the children studied and associates positively with caries presence. Determination of salivary Sm levels could be used to predict children's caries status.

Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis Colonization Correlated with Caries Experience in Children

The aim of this study was to examine the colonization of Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sanguinis in the oral cavity and the association with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). Saliva and plaque samples were collected from 14 S-ECC children and 8 caries-free (CF) children. All S-ECC children were S. mutans positive; 100% of CF children and 93% of S-ECC children were S. sanguinis positive. The children’s caries severity was positively correlated with levels of S. mutans (p < 0.001), total oral streptococci (p < 0.01), total cultivable oral bacteria (p < 0.05), and children’s age (p < 0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that the interaction of S. sanguinis with S. mutans was a significant factor associated with the caries status in children, suggesting that the relative levels of these two microorganisms in the oral cavity play an important role in caries development.

Prevalence of early childhood caries among 2-6 years old underprivileged and privileged children in Dar es Salaam

Aim: To determine the differences in prevalence of early childhood caries among underprivileged and privileged children aged 2 to 6 years at different institutions in Dar es Salaam. Design: A cross sectional study. Study participants and methods: Intra oral examination was done to assess the children's caries status scored according to WHO criteria. Results: A total of 333 children comprising 51% boys and 49% girls were examined. About 52% were underprivileged children. Nearly half of the children (49.6%) had caries in their primary dentition, the mean decayed teeth (dt) was 2.4, which was 1.3 among underprivileged and 2.8 among the privileged children. The lower posterior teeth were the most affected by caries and the lower anterior incisors were the least affected. Caries occurrence increased with age from 12.5% at 2 years, to 59% at 5 years, then dropped to 50.6% at six years. Caries was more prevalent among males (55.9% versus 44.8%) (p = 0.049); among the older group children (55.7% versus 40.2%) (p = 0.008,); and among the privileged children (59.1% versus 42.5%) (p = 0.003). Conclusions: Nearly half of the examined children had ECC. The occurrence increased with age. Privileged children were more affected by caries than the underprivileged. The mandibular posterior teeth were the most affected and mandibular anterior teeth the least affected. Keywords: Early childhood caries, privileged, underprivileged, children Tanzania Dental Journal Vol. 14 (2) 2007: pp. 53-58

Dental caries status and need for dental treatment of Pennsylvania public school children in grades 1, 3, 9, and 11.

This cross-sectional study was designed to determine the caries status and provide a general evaluation of the level of dental treatment need of Pennsylvania public school children in grades 1, 3, 9, and 11 on a statewide and regional basis. Between September 1998 and May 2000, caries status and treatment need were assessed using a school-based dental examination, performed on a representative sample (n=6,040) of public school children in grades 1, 3, 9, and 11 (age range=6 to 21 years). Children's caries status in the primary and permanent dentition was assessed. Need for treatment was scored on a three-level categorical scale--no treatment need identified, routine treatment need, and urgent treatment need--and was based on the presence and severity of caries and other oral conditions. Population estimates of the prevalence of untreated dental caries, DMFT and dft scores, and treatment need were calculated by grade and geographically, using the six Pennsylvania health districts and the cities of Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The inequality of caries distribution in the population was assessed for both permanent and primary caries using Lorenz curves and Gini coefficients. Dental caries has remained highly prevalent among Pennsylvania's public school children. Caries levels varied considerably by health districts and city. Urgent treatment needs were significant and also varied by health district and city. Dental caries remains the most prevalent disease affecting Pennsylvania's schoolchildren. Caries status varies significantly by region of the state, suggesting that environmental, social, and demographic contextual factors may be important determinants of disease prevalence.

TRENDS IN UNTREATED CARIES IN PRIMARY TEETH: OF CHILDREN 2 TO 10 YEARS OLD

This article is the second in a series of three that focus on recent changes in the caries status of children and adolescents in the United States. This study is based on analyses of data regarding untreated carious primary teeth among children 2 to 10 years of age from the first and third National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, or NHANES I and NHANES III. The NHANES is conducted periodically by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the number of carious primary teeth among children 2 to 10 years old decreased from 1.42 as measured in NHANES I to 0.63 as measured in NHANES III. The number of carious primary teeth in children 2 to 10 years old also decreased across four demographic variables: age, sex, race and poverty level. The number of untreated carious primary teeth among children has declined. Since the 1970s, the absolute difference in untreated caries between disadvantaged children in the United States and the rest of the U.S. child population has narrowed, although not to the same extent as in permanent teeth. On average, children of preschool and elementary-school age have less untreated caries than in the past. More often, dentists do not need to treat on a first visit. This provides more opportunity to introduce these children to preventive dentistry at an early age.

A survey of dental caries in Hong Kong preschool children

Objective To describe the dental caries status of preschool children in Hong Kong and factors which affect their caries status. Design 658 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years from six randomly selected kindergartens in Hong Kong were surveyed in December 1997. A questionnaire to investigate possible explanatory variables for caries status was completed by their parents. Dental caries was diagnosed according to the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization (1997). Result Caries experience as measured by the mean number of decayed, missing and filled primary teeth (dmft) of the 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children were found to be 0.9, 1.8, and 3.3 respectively. Overall, 61% of the children had a zero dmft score. Children born in Mainland China had a higher mean dmft score (4.6) than those born in Hong Kong (1.4). Statistically significant correlations were found between the children's dental caries status and their oral health practices as well as their socio-economic background. Parents' education level, dental knowledge and attitudes were also associated with the children's dental caries experience. Conclusion In general, the caries status of Hong Kong Chinese preschool children was similar to that of children in industrialised countries and was better than that of children in the nearby areas. However, special dental programmes should be made available to children from lower socio-economic classes and new immigrants from Mainland China because they are the high risk groups for caries in Hong Kong.

Dental caries status of preschool children in Hong Kong

To describe the dental caries status of preschool children in Hong Kong and factors which affect their caries status. 658 preschool children aged 4 to 6 years from six randomly selected kindergartens in Hong Kong were surveyed in December 1997. A questionnaire to investigate possible explanatory variables for caries status was completed by their parents. Dental caries was diagnosed according to the criteria recommended by the World Health Organization (1997). Caries experience as measured by the mean number of decayed, missing and filled primary teeth (dmft) of the 4-, 5-, and 6-year-old children were found to be 0.9, 1.8, and 3.3 respectively. Overall, 61% of the children had a zero dmft score. Children born in Mainland China had a higher mean dmft score (4.6) than those born in Hong Kong (1.4). Statistically significant correlations were found between the children's dental caries status and their oral health practices as well as their socio-economic background. Parents' education level, dental knowledge and attitudes were also associated with the children's dental caries experience. In general, the caries status of Hong Kong Chinese preschool children was similar to that of children in industrialised countries and was better than that of children in the nearby areas. However, special dental programmes should be made available to children from lower socio-economic classes and new immigrants from Mainland China because they are the high risk groups for caries in Hong Kong.

TRENDS IN UNTREATED CARIES IN PERMANENT TEETH OF CHILDREN 6 TO 18 YEARS OLD

This article is the first in a series of three that focus on recent changes in the caries status of children and adolescents in the United States. This study is based on analyses of data regarding untreated carious permanent teeth among children 6 to 18 years of age from the first and third National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, or NHANES I and NHANES III. The NHANES is periodically conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Overall, the number of carious permanent teeth among children 6 to 18 years old decreased from 1.43, as measured in NHANES I, to 0.33, as measured in NHANES III. The number of carious permanent teeth in children 6 to 18 years old also decreased across four demographic variables: age, sex, race and poverty level. The number of untreated carious permanent teeth among children has declined dramatically. Since the 1970s, the absolute difference in untreated caries between disadvantaged children and the rest of the child population has narrowed substantially. The reduction in untreated caries, the major oral disease among children, has been dramatic in all subgroups of children. This may reinforce the already apparent shift from restorative to preventive dental services.

Caries treatment through 30 years in children and adolescents in Asker, Norway

Asker is a capital suburb where a preventive philosophy has guided the public dental health services for decades. In the period studied the child population aged 3-13 yr increased from 3208 to 6008. In the school age groups 7-15 yr practically all children in the community have participated in the dental service programs. The objective of the paper is to present retrospectively the changes in caries status of children under near optimal dental health care conditions and to expose reported preventive activities. A considerable increase in the proportion of "caries free" pre-school children occurred in the period 1976-88. A maximum was reached in the latter part of the eighties, whereafter a leveling off is suggested. For school children a rapid increase in "caries free" children took place for the lowest grades, starting before 1976. The higher grades came later and at a slower pace. The great number of fillings inserted in 1966-72, oscillating around 60 surfaces for the nine school years, decreased rapidly during the following decade and seems now to have settled around a total average of five to six surfaces. This implies a reduction of 90% in 20 yr. In most age groups these changes started before 1970. The major part of the caries decline occurred in the seventies and a leveling off is apparent during the eighties. The average number of filled surfaces per year has fallen from 6.6 in the 1955 birth cohort to 0.7 in the 1977 cohort, a reduction of 89% in 22 yr.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A dietary procedure for preventing dental caries in young adults.

Significant improvement in the dental caries status of children in the United States has been seen in recent decades. The percentage of children who are free from dental caries, however, rapidly decreases with age. By the time young people enter colleges or universities, only a few are caries free. Colleges and universities are places where the young are simultaneously, and perhaps for the last time, reachable as large cohorts before their lives undergo further "individualization." This makes college age a time that is crucial for channeling information about proper oral health practices by organizing mass-directed strategies for prevention of dental caries. It is now clear that dental caries can effectively be prevented. This calls for placing strong emphasis on dietary behavior and on the use of sugar substitutes as part of the strategy. Scientific evidence also suggests that the addition of small daily quantities of xylitol, a natural carbohydrate sweetener, to the diet of children and young adults causes significant reduction in the incidence of dental caries. On the basis of detailed long-term clinical trials carried out during the past 20 years, it appears that a reduction ranging from 30% to more than 85% in dental caries can be achieved simply by using a few xylitol chewing gums daily over a period of 1 to 3 years. In individual cases, virtually total, long-term protection against caries has been observed.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dental caries in primary school children in Nairobi, Kenya.

The purpose of this study was to record the caries status in children attending public primary schools in Nairobi. The sample comprised 513 children, 262 aged 6-8 years and 251 aged 13-15 years. The children were drawn from six randomly selected schools in the city. Clinical examination was carried out in a room with natural daylight, using the WHO (1977) criteria. Fifty-four per cent of the 6- to 8-year-olds and 50% of the 13- to 15-year-olds were caries-free. The mean dmft in the 6- to 8-year-olds was 1.7, and the mean dmfs was 3.5. The mean DMFT in the 13- to 15-year-olds was 1.8, and the mean DMFS was 2.9. The d- and D-components dominated and were mainly located in the occlusal surfaces. The f-component of the dmft and the F-component of the DMFT comprised 1% and 10%, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in the prevalence of caries between males and females in the younger age group. In the older age group, however, females had a higher (p < 0.05) prevalence than males. In general, the study showed a low caries prevalence in Nairobi children.