Early Childhood Caries Prevalence, Severity and Pattern in 3-6 Year Old Preschool Children of Mysore City, Karnataka

Abstract

To determine Early Childhood Caries (ECC) prevalence, severity and pattern in preschool children of Mysore City, Karnataka. Methods: A total of 10 preschools, five government and five private were selected randomly from 5 different sectors in Mysore. A total of 500 children and their parents were included in the study. Early Childhood caries was diagnosed using NIDCR definition. Dental caries status was recorded using dmft and dmfs indices. Results: The results show that early childhood caries prevalence in 3-6 year old preschool children was 56.6% with a mean dmft and dmfs of 2.20 and 2.97 respectively. Out of the 500 children, 56% males and 57.1 % females were affected .There was no difference in caries prevalence between children of government and private preschools. 94.84% of total dmf was comprised of decayed component. Maxillary arch was affected more (29.32%) than the mandibular arch (26.14%).The most affected surfaces were the occlusal surfaces (46%) and least affected were the smooth surfaces (16%). Mandibular posteriors were affected the most (39.42%) and lower incisors were the least affected (1.84%). Conclusion: The results support the view that oral counseling should begin within 6 months of eruption of 1 st primary tooth. Prevalence; Dental caries; Tooth, Deciduous. Objetivo: Determinar a prevalência, severidade e características da cárie precoce na infância em Crianças de 3 a 6 Anos de idade de Mysore, India. Método: Dez pré-escolas, cinco públicas e cinco privadas foram aleatoriamente selecionadas de cinco diferentes áreas da cidade de Mysore. Um total de 500 crianãs e seus pais/responsáveis foram incluídas no estudo. A ocorrência de cárie precoce na infância foi diagnosticada com o uso dos critérios NIDCR. A existência de cárie dentária foi feita com o uso dos índices ceo-d e ceo-s. Resultados: A prevalência de cárie precoce foi de 56,6% com um ceo-d e ceo-s médios de 2,20 e 2,97, respectivamente. Do total de crianças, 56% dos meninos e 57,1 % das meninas estavam afetadas. Não se verificou diferença na prevalência de cárie entre os estudantes da rede pública e privada. Cerca de 94,84% do total do ceo-d envolvia o componente cariado. O arco superior foi mais afetado (29,32%) do que o inferior (26,14%). As superficies oclusais foram as mais afetadas (46%) e as menos afetadas foram as superfícies lisas (16%). Os molares inferiores foram os mais acometidos (39,42%) e os incisivos inferiores os menos afetados (1,84%). Conclusão: O aconselhamento oral deve ser iniciado aos seis meses quando da erupção dos primeiros dentes decíduos.

Caries pattern in three-year old preschool children

“…This finding is in accordance with the literature. A similar distribution of caries was observed by Agarwal et al 16 , Al-Malik et al 17 , Gizani et al 9 , Du et al 8 According to the results obtained by Agarwal et al 16 ECC involved 39.42% of mandibular molars, 32.64% of maxillary molars, 26.07% of maxillary front teeth and 1.84% of mandibular incisors in children 3-6 years old. In the group of children aged 36-48 months (mean age 43 months) from the Podlasie region, more caries were found in mandibular second molars (40.8%) and central upper incisors (35.7%).…”

“…In the examination of Indian children, caries more often involved occlusal surfaces (46%) as well. 16 However, the researchers noted a greater difference in the incidence of lesions on proximal surfaces (37%) compared to smooth surfaces (16%), which was probably related to the age difference of the examined children. 16 For that matter, according to Warren et al, caries on occlusal surfaces were the most common (56%), especially in the second molar, while 58% appeared on smooth surfaces.…”

“…16 However, the researchers noted a greater difference in the incidence of lesions on proximal surfaces (37%) compared to smooth surfaces (16%), which was probably related to the age difference of the examined children. 16 For that matter, according to Warren et al, caries on occlusal surfaces were the most common (56%), especially in the second molar, while 58% appeared on smooth surfaces. 3 Similarly, a study by King et al 27 , Kerosuo and Honkala 7 , Nørris-gaard et al 29 , Gizani et al 9 , Leroy et al 12 demonstrated that the occlusal surfaces of the molar teeth are most often affected by caries, especially the second molar.…”

“…Certainly, the morphology of the molars is very important. 16,20 However, it is important to remember that the rarer appearance of caries in the anterior segment is associated with the less frequent incidence of caries in the anterior part of the mandible. Mandibular teeth are less subjected to dryness due to the protective mechanism of saliva and are covered by the tongue during sucking, which reduces their exposure to cariogenic factors.…”

“…9,16,[21][22][23] An analysis of caries distribution in the study by Argawal et al showed that 30% concerned maxilla, 26% mandible, and the mean dmft was 2.81 ±2.16 and 2.27 ±1.21 respectively (p < 0.001). 16 The differences observed in Indian children aged 3 to 6 years were smaller, which may be related to the age of children involved in the study. 16 In the dentition of 3-year-old children from Łódź, the intensity of caries was also statistically significantly higher in the maxilla (2.6 ±5.8) than in the mandible (0.9 ±2.5).…”