Pattern and severity of early childhood caries in Southern Italy: a preschool-based cross-sectional study

BMC Public Health

Maria Pavia¹  Claudia Pileggi¹  Aida Bianco¹  Leonzio Fortunato¹  Carmelo GA Nobile¹ 

[1] Department of Health Sciences, Medical School, University of Catanzaro “Magna Græcia”, Via T. Campanella, 115, Catanzaro 88100, Italy

关键词: Prevention;    Children;    Feeding habits;    Public health;    Early childhood caries;   

Others  :  1132441
DOI  :  10.1186/1471-2458-14-206

 received in 2014-01-07, accepted in 2014-02-19,  发布年份 2014

【 摘 要 】

Background

This survey was intended to investigate prevalence and severity of early childhood caries (ECC) in a sample of children in Southern Italy and to identify factors that may be related to this condition.

Methods

The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. The study population (children aged 36–71 months) attending thirteen kindergartens was randomly selected through a two-stage cluster sampling procedure. Parents/guardians of all eligible children were invited to participate filling out a structured self-administered questionnaire, and after having returned the informed consent form an oral examination of the child was performed at school. The questionnaire included information on: socio-demographics about parents/guardians and child, pregnancy and newborn characteristics, oral hygiene habits of child, eating habits particularly on consumption of sweets, access to dental services, and infant feeding practices. The WHO caries diagnostic criteria for deciduous decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) and surfaces (dmfs) were used to record ECC and severe-ECC (S-ECC). Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted to evaluate statistical associations of social demographics, infant feeding practices, oral hygiene habits, and access to dental services to ECC, S-ECC, dmft and dmfs.

Results

515 children participated in the study. 19% had experienced ECC, and 2.7% S-ECC, with a mean dmft and dmfs scores of 0.51 and 0.99, respectively. Mean dmft was 2.68 in ECC subjects, and 6.86 in S-ECC subjects. Statistical analysis showed that prevalence of ECC significantly increased with age (OR = 1.95; 95% CI = 1.3-2.91) and duration of breastfeeding (OR = 1.26; 95% CI = 1.01-1.57), whereas it was significantly lower in children of more educated mothers (OR = 0.64; 95% CI = 0.42-0.96), and higher in those who had been visited by a dentist in the previous year (OR = 3.29; 95% CI = 1.72-6.33).

Conclusions

Results of our study demonstrate that even in Western countries ECC and S-ECC represent a significant burden in preschool children, particularly in those disadvantaged, and that most of the known modifiable associated factors regarding feeding practices and oral hygiene are still very spread in the population.

【 授权许可】

   
2014 Nobile et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

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