Prevalence, severity and risk factors for development of early childhood caries

Introduction. Early childhood caries is a specific form of primary tooth decay, which occurs very early, progresses rapidly, affects a larger number of teeth and has manifold consequences. Its treatment is a very complex process, both for the children and the pedodontist, and it requires good co-operation with the parents. This study was aimed at examining the prevalence and severity of early childhood caries in the teeth of infants and pre-school children, and to analyze the potential risk factors causing early childhood caries. Material and Methods. The research was conducted as an analytic cross sectional study and it included 204 children in Kanjiža, of both genders, their age ranging from 13 to 71 months. Early childhood caries diagnostics was performed as a dental examination (with a probe and mirror), whereas information about social status, living conditions, views, habits, behavior and health awareness was obtained through questionnaires filled in by the parents. The significance of variance was tested by variant analysis and χ2 test. Results. The prevalence of early childhood caries in the study sample was 23.5%, being 28.7% in boys and 17.7% in girls. By analyzing the correlation between the age and type of early childhood caries, it can be said that children aged between 25 to 36 months were usually diagnosed with initial stage of early childhood caries, children aged between 37 to 48 months had intermediate stage of early childhood caries, and the older children had moderate stage of early childhood caries. Our insight into the partial contribution of early childhood caries predictors (the set of risk factors) suggests that only gender, time of birth, time of odontosis and the quality of drinking water have significant effects. Factors such as the age of the children, as well as the mothers' employment status and the health condition of their mouth and teeth have only marginal significance; hence, they should be taken into account tentatively. Conclusion. The high rate of early childhood caries in kindergartens in Kanjiža requires intensive preventive-prophylactic treatment of both children and their parents, as well as early diagnosis and therapy of early childhood caries.