Background: Dental caries, dental pain and reported oral problems influence people's oral quality of life and thus their perceived need for dental care. So far there is scant information as to the psychosocial impacts of dental diseases and the perceived treatment need in child populations of sub-Saharan Africa.

Background Early childhood caries (ECC) is a serious problem that has remained unexplored in sub-Saharan Africa . This study aimed to identify possible socio-behavioral correlates of ECC focusing 6–36 months old children and their caretakers. Methods Cross sectional studies were conducted in a high fluoride rural area, Manyara, Tanzania and a low fluoride urban area, Kampala, Uganda. Totals of 1221 and 816 child - caretaker pairs attending health care facilities for growth monitoring were recruited in Manyara and Kampala, respectively. All caretakers completed face to face interviews at the health care facility. Children underwent oral clinical examination whereby ECC and Enamel hypoplasia were recorded using the dmft (WHO 1997) and the DDE index (FDI 1992). Results The prevalence of ECC was 3.7% in Manyara and 17.6% in Kampala. According to multiple logistic regression analyses, received oral health information from health worker was the strongest determinant of ECC in Manyara, adjusted OR 0.3, 95% CI 0.09 – 0.93. In Kampala, visible plaque, high sugar intake and presence of enamel hypoplasia associated with ECC, adjusted ORs 2.8 (95% CI 1.61- 4.95), 3.0 (95% CI 1.39 – 6.34) and 2.3 (95% CI 1.36 - 3.95). Conclusion Oral health education aimed at caretakers of 6–36 months, including health care workers’ information regarding the detrimental consequences for oral health of frequent sugar consumption and poor oral hygiene is important for prevention of ECC in Tanzania and Uganda.

This study aimed to examine the evaluative properties of the Child Oral Impacts on Daily Performances (Child-OIDP) inventory and to estimate treatment-associated changes in the OIDP and self-reported oral health following atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) and oral health education (OHE). A total of 1,306 school attendees in Kilwa, Tanzania, completed the Child-OIDP inventory before, and 6 months after, treatment. The post-treatment questionnaire assessed change in perceived oral health. Complete baseline and follow-up data were obtained for 104, 117, and 1,085 participants who received, respectively, ART fillings (Group A), ART fillings and tooth extraction (Group B), and OHE only (Group C). The longitudinal validity, responsiveness, and treatment-associated changes were calculated using anova, effect sizes, and repeated general linear models (GLM). The follow-up prevalence was 73.8%. The mean changes in the OIDP total- and subscale scores were negative within those who reported 'worsened' oral health, and positive in subjects reporting 'improved' oral health. Effect sizes for the total OIDP score ranged from -0.2 within the category 'worsened' to 0.4 within the category 'improved'. Changes following treatment were more extensive in Group B compared with Groups A and C, and in Group C compared with Group A. The Child-OIDP showed promising evaluative properties and responsiveness to change following ART fillings, ART fillings and tooth extraction, and OHE.