Mean Deft Research Articles

Oral Health-Related Quality of Life and Dental Caries Status in Children With Orofacial Cleft: An Indian Outlook.

Aim:To assess the dental caries status and oral health–related quality of life (OHRQOL) among children with orofacial cleft reporting to a hospital in India.Materials and Methods:Subjects were divided into two groups. Group 1 cleft children (n = 80) and group 2 noncleft children (n = 80). Decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) Index, deft Index, and Children Oral Health Impact Profile questionnaire were recorded.Results:The mean DMFT was high in noncleft (3.51 ± 2.45) children than in cleft children (2.75 ± 2.68). The mean deft was high in noncleft (1.11 ± 0.96) children than in cleft children (0.86 ± 3.07).Conclusion:Cleft children have negative impact on OHRQOL than noncleft children.

Are dental caries and overweight/obesity interrelated? A cross-sectional study in rural and urban preschool children.

Obesity and dental caries are two distinct diseases which are somewhat preventable through a common risk factor approach, as they have common underlying etiological factor, i.e., high sugar intake. The aim of the study is to examine the correlation between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) in rural and urban areas of Hisar (Haryana, India) and intercompare their correlations. This was a cross-sectional study in rural and urban preschool children of Hisar, Haryana. A total of 500 urban and 500 rural children (age group 3-6 years) were selected from schools of Hisar and the values of their mean BMI and mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) (using the World Health Organization criteria, 2005) were compared using independent sample t-test among different groups and subgroups. Pearson correlation coefficients between dmft and BMI were calculated for groups and subgroups and intercompared. Males had significantly higher BMI than females (P < 0.05) and urban preschool children had significantly higher BMI than rural preschool children (P < 0.05). Mean deft was statistically non-significant across the genders and both geographical areas. Non-significant negative correlation was observed between dmft and BMI across different areas and genders. The overall prevalence of obesity/overweight was 20.2% (25.6% urban preschool children; 14.8% rural preschool children). More rural preschool children were underweight (23.8%) than urban preschool children (14.4%) with the overall prevalence of underweight being 19.1%. There was no significant correlation between dental caries and BMI in preschool children of rural and urban areas. Obesity/overweight was more prevalent in urban preschool children, whereas rural preschool children predominantly were underweight.

TINGKAT PENGETAHUAN ORANG TUA (IBU) TENTANG MAKANAN KARIOGENIK DENGAN KEJADIAN KARIES GIGI PADA SISWA-SISWI KELAS III DI SDN 060971 MEDAN

Carcinogenic food is a type of food which cause the incidence of caries. The type of food which can cause the incidence of caries is sweet food which contains a lot of sugar or sucrose. Most children like sweet and sticky food which is one of the causes of the incidence of caries. The research used descriptive survey method with 35 parents and 35 students as the samples. It was aimed to find out the level of knowledge of parents (mothers) in carcinogenic food with the incidence of caries in grade III student of SDN 060971, Medan, in 2016. It was conducted in june , 2016. Primary data were gathered by conducting direct examination and secondary data were obtained from questionnaires. The results of the research showed that 30 respondent (85,7%) had good knowledge of carcinogenic food and the incidenci caries, 3 respondent (8,6%) had moderate knowledge, and 2 respondent (5,7%) had bad knowledge . the result of the research concerning caries of milk teeth showed that the amount def-t was 91 and the mean def-t was 2,6. The result of the reseach concerning the status of caries of permanent teeth showed that amount of DMFT was 75 and the mean DMF-T was 2,14. The concution was that parents (mothers) had good knowledge of SDN 060971, Medan , was bad or surpassed the target of ? 2.

Association of Undernutrition and Early Childhood Dental Caries

To determine the association between early childhood caries and nutritional status in preschool children. Cross-sectional study among preschool children (N=550, age 8-60 mo) were selected in tribal, rural and urban health care units of Kerala. An oral examination for early childhood caries status was done using Deft index. The anthropometric measurements were recorded. Multiple logistic regression with other covariates was used to determine the association between the early childhood caries and nutritional status. The mean (SD) Deft scores were 0.93 (1.73), 2.22 (2.92) and 3.40 (3.23) for children with normal nutritional status, borderline undernutrition and undernutrition, respectively. Children with borderline undernutrition (adjusted OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.20, 3.49) or undernutrition (adjusted OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.93, 6.29) had higher odds of dental caries in comparison to those with normal nutritional status. Undernutrition is associated with early childhood caries among preschool children.

Evaluation of Dental Caries Among Preschool Children in Kathmandu- Using Significant Caries Index.

Dental caries among preschool children is common but there is scarcity of updated data about its prevalence among Nepalese preschool children. This study was conducted to evaluate prevalence, Significant Caries Index, Caries pattern, Restorative care index and Disparity ratio among preschool children of Kathmandu aged 3-6 years. A cross sectional study was conducted on 17 preschools of Kathmandu following WHO criteria. Data were analysed using SPSS 20 and descriptive statistics was applied. Prevalence of dental caries was 803 (55.6%) with a mean deft of 3.28±3.581 and Significant Caries Index score was 7.439. Caries pattern showed the most commonly decayed teeth were mandibular second molars followed by maxillary central incisors. The least affected teeth were mandibular lateral incisors. The restorative care index was 106 (7.32%) in the total sample size and 14 (2.86%) in the SiC and disparity ratio was 2.26. The SiC Index indicated high dental caries prevalence; severity rates and restorative care index indicated little experience of restorative treatment in preschool children of Kathmandu identifying the need for more targeted efforts to reach preschool children early to effectively address unmet oral health needs.

Prevalence of early childhood caries in 3- to 5-year-old preschool children in Rohtak City, Haryana

Introduction: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a significant dental public health problem that affects infants and preschool children all over the world, and there is scarcity of epidemiological data regarding ECC in Rohtak city. Aim: This study aims to assess the prevalence of ECC among 3- to 5-year-old preschool children in Rohtak city, Haryana, India. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 489 preschool children aged 3–5 years in Rohtak city, Haryana. Children were randomly selected from preschools of Rohtak. Caries experience was recorded using “deft” index, and questionnaire comprising sociodemographic details and oral hygiene practices was also used. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 20.0. Chi-square tests were used for the comparison of proportions. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The overall prevalence of ECC was found to be 32% with mean deft 1.08 ± 2.27. No significant association of dental caries was found with sociodemographic factors such as gender, parental education, parental occupation, socioeconomic status, number of children, birth order, type of family, and oral hygiene practices. Conclusion: As burden of dental caries is high, treatment of dental caries would impose a great financial burden; hence, effective preventive strategies should be developed and implemented.

Exploring the multitude of risk factors associated with early childhood caries.

Despite efforts in restorative therapy, children who experience Early Childhood Caries (ECC) continue to be at a higher risk for new lesions in both the primary and the permanent dentition. Early interventions which disrupt the pathobiology of caries need identification of all the causative or risk factors. This study dealt with the prevalence and associated risk factors of ECC among preschool children aged 3 to 5 years in Bengaluru city. Information regarding risk factors was obtained through a structured questionnaire among a random sample of 1152 children. Clinical examination was performed by a trained dental professional using the modified WHO oral health survey format. Chi-square, one-way ANOVA, correlation, multiple linear regression analysis. The prevalence of ECC among preschool children was 24.39% (P < 0.05), whereas the mean deft was 5.80 ± 8.90. The prevalence of ECC among males and females was 24.92% and 23.81%, respectively. 4.27% of children with ECC showed a history of prolonged breastfeeding beyond 2.5 years (P < 0.05). 50.18% of children had a history of using medications during bedtime/night. History of low birth weight was reported among 23.84% of ECC children. Only 13.52% of mothers claimed of getting a prenatal oral health care/counseling (P < 0.05). The prevalence of ECC was seen in almost a quarter of the population with a high deft. A significant relation was associated only with the feeding duration and lack of prenatal oral health counseling provided to parents.

Prevalence of dental caries among school children according to the content of the lunch box

Objective: Sugars are the most imperative cause of dental caries. Frequent consumption of carbohydrate rich diet increases the chances of dental caries. The present study was planned to determine the prevalence of dental caries and its relation to the lunch diet in school-going children. Methods: The study was conducted in two schools in different regions of the city and a total of 485 students participated in the study. Before the beginning of lunch break time, each student’s lunch box was viewed to identify the main foods and beverages. Clinical assessment of caries status was done according to the criteria of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index and decayed filled (df) index. SPSS version 16.0 was used for the analysis of the data using ANOVA test (p≤ 0.05). Results: The most frequently consumed foods were chapatti (49%), vegetables (42%), bread (38%), snacks (26%) and rice (21%). Drinks such as coffee/tea and cold beverages were the least common findings during lunch times. DMFT and DMFS scores for all the school children came out to be 0.32±0.768 and 0.42±0.765 respectively. Similarly overall deft and defs was found as 2.44±2.434 and 5.42±7.654 respectively. When the caries status was compared according to sugar exposure, there was an increase in the mean DMFT, DMFS, deft and defs scores. Conclusion: It was concluded that the level of caries index in children increased with each year of class and the frequency of sugar exposure.

The prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in children with severe early childhood caries undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia

PurposeSevere early childhood caries (SECC) is known to affect young children worldwide. However, there is little information about the effects of SECC on Iron deficiency anemia (IDA). The aim of this study was to investigate the IDA in children with severe caries undergoing dental surgery under general anesthesia. MethodsA total of 160 children were evaluated; age ranged from two to six years and mean age was 4.8 ± 1.1 years. Before performing general anesthesia, blood samples were assessed regarding hemoglobin (Hgb), hematocrit (Hct), mean corpuscular volume (MCV) as biochemical indicators of IDA. ResultsThe mean deft score was 10.1 ± 4.1. The children in this study were defined to have SECC. All of the anemia-related measurements were in the standard ranges, except for MCV values. There were no statistically significant differences between serum Hgb (p = 0.205) and Hct levels (p = 0.386), but statistically significant differences were found among serum MCV levels (p = 0.018) in children with severe caries. Pearson Correlation analysis among SECC and Hgb (p = 0.54),Hct (p = 0.88) and MCV (p = 0.39) revealed that there were no significant differences. ConclusionsThere was no association between SECC and serum Hgb, Hct and MCV levels, but low levels of MCV might be an indicator of microcytic anemia which is most commonly caused by iron deficiency. In the present study, we concluded that SECC might be a risk marker for iron deficiency.

Salivary IgA versus HIV and Dental Caries.

The inter-relationship of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and dental caries as well as Salivary Immunoglobulin-A (S-IgA) level appear to remain under explored while a manual and electronic search of the literature was made. Hence, the present study was undertaken to assess the relationship of S-IgA and dental caries status in HIV positive children. The aim of this study was to find out the relationship of S-IgA antibody with dental caries by measuring the concentration of IgA in saliva of HIV positive and negative children and determine the dental caries status in HIV positive and HIV negative children, which may help in treatment planning and prevention of the same. A total of 28 HIV positive children aged between 6-14 years and 28 age matched HIV negative children were included in this study and both samples were randomly selected from the same Non-Governmental Organization (NGO). The HIV status of both these samples was confirmed from their medical records provided by the NGO. Only 2cc of unstimulated saliva was collected from both groups in special tubes coded numerically using the method described by Collins and Dawes and the samples were analyzed to measure the concentration of IgA using commercially available ELISA kit (DRG Diagnostics, Germany). Examination of dental caries was carried out according to WHO criteria (1997) using a flat mouth mirror and CPI probe. In HIV +ve group mean S-IgA level was calculated as 81.61 ± 6.20 μg/ml, mean DMFT was 3.86 ± 3.37, mean deft was 4.75 ± 2.86. In HIV -ve group mean S-IgA level was calculated as 145.57 ± 17.83μg/ml, mean DMFT was 2.54 ± 0.69, mean deft was 2.43 ± 2.01. Strong-ve correlation between S-IgA and DMFT (r = -0.781, t = 6.38, p < 0.001) and negative but Not Significant (N.S.) correlation (r = -0.19, t = 0.99, p > 0.05) between S-IgA and deft was found in HIV +ve group. Strong -ve correlation between S-IgA and DMFT (r = -0.655, t = 4.42, p < 0.001), S-IgA and deft (r = -0.942, t =14.32, p=<0.001) was found in HIV-ve group. This study suggests that the individuals who are suffering from IgA deficiency in general, are more susceptible to dental caries than normal individuals.

Salivary IgA and dental caries in HIV patients: A pilot study.

The interrelationship of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and dental caries, as well as Salivary IgA (S-IgA) level, appear to remain underexplored while a manual and electronic search of the literature was made. Hence, this study was undertaken to assess the relationship of S-IgA and dental caries status in HIV +ve children. The aim of this study was to find out the relationship of S-IgA antibody with dental caries by measuring the concentration of IgA in saliva of HIV +ve and HIV -ve children and to determine the dental caries status in HIV +ve and HIV -ve children, which may help in treatment planning and prevention of the same. Twenty-eight HIV +ve children aged between 6 and 14 years and 28 age matched HIV -ve children were included in this study, and both samples were randomly selected from the same nongovernmental organization (NGO). The HIV status of both these samples was confirmed from their medical records provided by the NGO. 2 cc of unstimulated saliva was collected from both groups in special tubes coded numerically using the method described by Collins and Dawes, and the samples were analyzed to measure the concentration of IgA using commercially available ELISA kit (DRG Diagnostics, Germany). Examination of dental caries was carried out according to the WHO criteria (1997) using a flat mouth mirror and Community periodontal index (CPI) probe. In HIV +ve group, mean salivary IgA level was calculated as 81.61 ± 6.20 μg/ml, mean decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) was 3.86 ± 3.37, mean decayed, extracted and filled teeth (deft) was 4.75 ± 2.86. In HIV -ve group, the mean salivary IgA level was calculated as 145.57 ±17.83 μg/ml, mean DMFT was 2.54 ± 0.69, mean deft was 2.43 ± 2.01. Strong -ve correlation between S-IgA and DMFT (r = -0.781, t = 6.38, P < 0.001) and negative, but not significant correlation (r = -0.19, t = 0.99, P > 0.05) between S-IgA and deft was found in HIV +ve group. Strong -ve correlation between S-IgA and DMFT (r = -0.655, t = 4.42, P < 0.001), S-IgA and deft (r = -0.942, t = 14.32, P < 0.001) was found in HIV -ve group. This study suggests that the individuals, who are suffering from IgA deficiency in general, are more susceptible to dental caries than normal individuals.

Dental pain among 10-15 year old children attending oral health promoting schools: A cross-sectional study.

Introduction:Dental pain is a major public health problem and one of the consequences of oral diseases which requires significant adjustments in life management leading to decreased quality of life.Objective:To assess prevalence of dental pain and its impact on daily life and to explore its relationship with oral health behavior and clinical oral status among 10-15 year old school children attending oral health promoting schools.Method:This cross sectional study was conducted in 6 schools serving low -middle socio economic strata in Bangalore, India. A total of 1237 children were surveyed for history of dental pain during past 3 month. Participants who reported dental pain completed self-reported oral health behaviour and Child dental pain questionnaire. Clinical oral examination included assessment of dental caries, periodontal status. Data was analyzed using t - test, Chi-square test, ANOVA and Regression Analysis.Results:Prevalence of dental pain was 15.6% (n = 194). Among children with pain, 17%, 43% and 40% reported mild, moderate and severe pain. Impact on daily activities was reported by 66%. Mean DMFT and DMFS was 1.80 and 2.11 Mean deft and defs was 2.47 and 3.41. Multiple logistic regression revealed that severity and impact of dental pain was associated with gender, frequency of tooth brushing, consumption of sweets and deciduous dental caries experience.Conclusion:Prevalence of Dental pain is associated with brushing behavior, consumption of sweets and deciduous dental caries experience, showing need for further attention to these conditions and a need to strengthen preventive and therapeutic dental services.

Evaluating the impact of a community developed collaborative project for the prevention of early childhood caries: the Healthy Smile Happy Child project

To determine the effectiveness of the Healthy Smile Happy Child (HSHC) project, a community-developed initiative promoting early childhood oral health in Manitoba, Canada. Specific aims were to assess improvements in caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours relating to early childhood oral health, and the burden of early childhood caries (ECC) and severe ECC (S-ECC). A serial cross-sectional study design was selected to contrast findings following the Healthy Smile Happy Child (HSHC) campaign in four communities with the previous baseline data. One community was a remote First Nation in northern Manitoba and another was a rural First Nation in southern Manitoba. The other two communities were urban centres, one of which was located in northern Manitoba. A community-development approach was adopted for the project to foster community solutions to address ECC. Goals of the HSHC program were to promote the project in each community, use existing community-based programs and services to deliver the oral health promotion and ECC prevention activities, and recruit and train natural leaders to assist in program development and to deliver the ECC prevention program. The HSHC coordinator worked with communities to develop a comprehensive list of potential strategies to address ECC. Numerous activities occurred in each community to engage members and increase their knowledge of early childhood oral health and ultimately lead them to adopt preventive oral health practices for their young children. Children under 71 months of age and their primary caregivers participated in this follow-up study. A -value ≤0.05 was statistically significant. 319 children (mean age 38.2±18.6 months) and their primary caregivers participated. Significant improvements in caregiver knowledge and attitudes were observed following the HSHC campaign, including that baby teeth are important (98.8%), that decay involving primary teeth can impact on health (94.3%), and the importance of a dental visit by the first birthday (82.4%). Significantly more respondents indicated that their child had visited the dentist (50.2%) and had started brushing their child's teeth (86.7%) when compared to baseline. Overall, 52.0% had ECC, 38.6% had S-ECC. The mean deft score was 3.85±4.97 (range 0-20). There was no significant change is ECC prevalence between the follow-up and baseline investigations. However, age-adjusted logistic regression for S-ECC in this follow-up study revealed a significant reduction in prevalence compared with the baseline study (=0.021). Similarly, age-adjusted Poisson regression revealed that there were significant reductions in both the decayed teeth and decayed, extracted and filled teeth scores between follow-up and baseline study periods (0.016 and .0001, respectively). Follow-up study results suggest that the HSHC initiative may have contributed to improvements in caregiver knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours towards early childhood oral health and subsequently modest yet statistically significant reductions in caries scores and the prevalence of S-ECC.

Dental caries experience among 8-9-year-old school children in a South Indian City: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Dental caries is the most common dental disease and knowledge of a population's epidemiological situation is vital for planning and providing prevention and treatment services. There is minimal data available in the literature with regard to the prevalence of dental caries in mixed dentition. Aim: The aim was to assess dental caries experience in 8-9 years old children in Davanagere, Karnataka. Materials and Methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study of 8-9 years old children in government and private schools was conducted. Total of 800 school children (both males and females) were randomly selected for the study. Dental caries status was recorded by means of deft for primary dentition and decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) for permanent dentition. The statistical tests used were t-test and Chi-square test. Results: Caries experience among the subjects for permanent teeth was 13.8% and for primary teeth was 60.1%. Mean deft and DMFT score were 2.77 and 0.26, respectively. Conclusion: Dental caries status for the sample of Indian children aged 8-9 years of Davangere city showed a declining trend.

Utility of pediatric cariogenicity index among preschoolers of the western part of Maharashtra: A cross-sectional study

Introduction: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a multifactorial infectious disease occurring on one or more decayed, missing or filled tooth surfaces in a child from birth to 6 years of age. ECC results from the interaction of behavioral and biological factors including fermentable carbohydrate, plaque, and dietary patterns. Diet is a major modifiable risk factor in the initiation of ECC. Aim: The aim was to assess the utility of pediatric cariogenicity index among the Indian population. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with sample size of 400 preschool children of Satara district, western Maharashtra. Data regarding the diet were obtained from caregivers and cariogenicity indices were used to score dietary data using a food frequency questionnaire. The 24 h dietary recall was taken. Preschool children were subjected to type 3 dental examinations. Solid and liquid cariogenicity scores were assessed by Statistical analysis - SPSS v 17.0. Results: The mean deft was 1.44 (±1.20) for the subjects. Similarly, according to the calculation using 24 h recall, mean solid cariogenicity score was 2.3 (±0.9) and mean liquid cariogenicity score 4.37 (±1.5). The correlation between deft and the solid cariogenicity score was not significant (r = −0.074). The correlation between deft and liquid cariogenicity scores was significant and positive (r = 0.671). Conclusions: There was definite positive correlation of liquid cariogenic food intake with the ECC experience among the preschool children of western part of Maharashtra.

Comparison of risk indicators of dental caries in children with and without cleft lip and palate deformities

Objective:To test the hypothesis that there are no differences in various risk factors of dental caries among children with cleft lip and palate when compared to non-cleft high caries risk and non-cleft caries free children.Design:Seventy-three children in the age range of 4–9 years comprised three groups; Group-I (n = 23, children with cleft lip and palate), Group-II (n = 25, non-cleft high caries risk children) and Group-III (n = 25, non-cleft caries free children). Various risk factors for dental caries like type of oral hygiene practice, sugar exposures/day, developmental defects of enamel, caries activity, salivary streptococci mutans levels and lactobacilli levels were evaluated and compared among the three groups of children.Results:The mean deft score among Group-II children was significantly more (P < 0.01) as compared to the Group-I children. The mean deft + DMFT score among Group-I and Group-II children was comparable (P = 0.149). Developmental enamel defects were more among Group-I children as compared to Group-II and Group-III children (P < 0.01). Hypoplasia of the maxillary anterior teeth was more common among Group-I children as compared to Group-II (P < 0.05) and Group-III children (P < 0.001). The association between hypoplastic teeth and dental caries was significant (P < 0.05). The salivary acidogenic potential as evaluated by Snyder test was comparable among Group-I and Group-II children. The salivary streptococcus mutans levels in Group-I and Group-II children were higher when compared to lactobacillus counts.Conclusion:The risk factors of dental caries among children with cleft lip and palate were more as compared to non-cleft high caries risk and non-cleft caries free children.

Oral hygiene and dental caries status among patients with cleft lip, cleft palate and cleft lip, alveolus and palate in Chennai, India

Background: Long-term health of the stomatognathic system as well as esthetic aspects are the therapeutic goals in patients with orofacial clefts. Aim: The aim of this study is to compare the oral hygiene and dental caries status among patients with cleft lip (CL), cleft palate (CP), and CL alveolus and palate (CLAP) reporting to a hospital in India. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 80 cleft patients. Subjects were divided into three groups. Group 1: Patients with CL, Group 2: Subjects with CP and Group 3: Subjects with CLAP. Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (Greene and Vermillion in 1964), decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) (Klein, Palmer and Knutson in 1938) and deft Index (Grubbel in 1944) were recorded. Results: The maximum number of subjects having fair and poor oral hygiene was found in CLAP groups (42.9% and 7.1%). The mean DMFT was high in CLAP subjects (2.93 ± 2.94) compared to CL (2.73 ± 2.52) and CP subjects (2.58 ± 2.65). The mean deft was high in CP subjects (1.04 ± 2.22) compared to CL (0.28 ± 0.89) and CLAP subjects (0.26 ± 0.76). Conclusion: Oral hygiene status of CLAP patients was found to be fair, and they had moderate risk of dental caries.

The prevalence of early childhood caries and its associated risk factors among preschool children referred to a tertiary care institution.

The aim was to determine the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) and its association with infant feeding and oral health-related behavior among preschool children aged 6-71 months in Lagos. This was a descriptive cross-sectional study in which 302 children aged 6-71 months were selected from four pediatric outpatient clinics in Lagos, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was used to obtain information regarding oral hygiene practices, dietary habits, breast and bottle feeding, birth weight of child and socioeconomic status of the family, from mothers of the children. The status of dental caries was recorded according to the World Health Organization criteria. The prevalence of ECC among 302 children aged 6-71 months was 21.2% while the mean deft was 0.735. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed the correlation of ECC with the associated risk factors. ECC was significantly higher in children who were bottle-fed at night. Method of tooth cleaning other than using fluoridated toothpaste significantly increased the prevalence of ECC. Breastfeeding for duration of 3-6 months showed significantly lesser caries prevalence. Caries significantly increased with age. Early childhood caries is a multifactorial disease in which prolonged duration of breastfeeding, nocturnal bottle feeding, and use of cleaning methods other than fluoridated toothpaste are risk factors for ECC. Oral health promotion programs should be targeted at mothers, pediatricians, nurses, caretakers at day care centers and primary care health workers.

Dental caries and their treatment needs in 3-5 year old preschool children in a Rural District of India

Background:Dental problems in the preschool children are neglected by their parents as the deciduous teeth are going to shed off, and hence considered to be of no importance and more of economic burden if attended to them.Aims:This study was to determine the caries prevalence in preschool children (3-5-year-old) of rural Moradabad district, to analyze the specific pattern of dental caries experience in this population and to assess the treatment needs among them.Material and Methods:Children within the age group of 3-5 years attending Anganwadi centers of rural Moradabad district were included in the study. Caries diagnosis was based on decayed, extracted, filled surface (defs) and the treatment needs were recorded using World Health Organization (WHO) oral health assessment form 1997.Results:Out of 1,500 children examined, 48.7% males and 52.6% females did not require any treatment. The mean decayed, extracted, filled teeth (deft) value was found to be significantly high in 5-year-old participants when compared to 3-year-old participants (P < 0.01). Majority of the children required one surface filling followed by two surface fillings, caries arresting sealant care, extraction, crown bridge element, pulp care, and space maintainer.Conclusion:The most common pattern was pit and fissure, then maxillary anterior pattern, posterior proximal pattern, and posterior buccal lingual smooth surface pattern. The mean deft value was higher in males as compared to females. There is a greater need for oral health education among parents and teachers.

The Prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) and its Associated Risk Factors Among Immigrant Tibetan Pre-School Children in Bylakuppe, Mysore, India

Objectives: This study estimated the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) and related risk factors in a population of immigrant Tibetan pre-school children in Bylakuppe of Mysore District; India. Methodology: A cross sectional study was conducted in 500 pre-school children between 10 to 72 months of age in and around Bylakuppe of Mysore district; India; using II stage stratified random sampling. The caries experience was recorded using defs and the deft index. Information regarding risk factors for caries was obtained through a structured questionnaire given to mothers/caretakers. Statistical data analysis: The data was statistically analyzed by using “chi-square” test and “ANOVA” test. Results: The prevalence of ECC in the study sample was significantly high. It was 92.2% with the mean defs score of 10.27 and the mean deft score of 6.15 (p<0.001vhs).Higher prevalence of ECC was found, in children with bottle feeding, addition of sugar to bottle content and to regular food, in-between meal snacking habits and increase intake of sweets like chocolate, candies and toffees, lesser frequency of brushing and child brushing unassisted/unsupervised. Reports of regular visits to the dentist were almost absent in the study population. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the high prevalence of ECC in the study population. Development of strategies and protocols; to prevent and manage ECC, based on the risk factors identified for these population, is essential to curb this oral health problem.