An Epidemiological Investigation Of Dental Caries And The Correlative Factors' Analysis Of 2 To 4-year-old Children Of Kaifu District In Changsha

Background:Dental caries,is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases of people worldwide,and one of the main diseases that affect children' health.In Aboriginal children in Western Australia,dental caries was the fifth and sixth most common disease causing hospitalisation in preschool children(aged1-4 years)and primary school children(aged 5-12 years),respectively.According to many European nationwide investigations of 5-year-old child in 1990s,the prevalence of deciduous caries was 28%～40%.Dental caries of the deciduous dentition was significantly more common than that of the permanent dentition in Thailand(61%～91%),Sri Lanka(90%)and so on.According to the Epidemiological investigation of 5-year-old children by the Third National Oral Health Investigation,the prevalence of deciduous caries was 66.0%.It was reported that,the prevalence of deciduous caries was 20%～80%among 3 to-4-year-old children in many cities of our country. 2 to-4-year-old children are in a special growth time.The risk factors of their decayed teeth are different from others,because of the particularity diet custom and the normal oral hygiene custorm not yet established. Early childhood caries is a special kind of deciduous dental caries.Many scholars did a lot of researches on this subject,they found that improper feeding practice,improper eating habit and bad oral hygiene play an important role in the development of early childhood caries.But there are no studies about the status of deciduous caries among 2 to-4-year-old children in Changsha so far.So it is lack of scientific basis for the establishment of oral health care policies in changsha.Objective:To investigate the status of deciduous caries and early childhood caries among 2 to-4-year-old children of Kaifu district in Changsha;to explore the major risk factors of them,so as to provide epidemiological foundation for the prevention of dental caries.Methods:Randomly cluster sampled among all the kindergartens of Kaifu district in Changsha.According to the criteria recommended by the Third National Oral Health Investigation,the deciduous caries of 459 children aged from 2 to 4 years in 5 kindergartens were clinically examined,and chosed 55 children with early childhood caries(dmft≥2), 106 children with deciduous caries(dmft≥1)and 184 caries-free children(dmft=0).Data were collected by questionnaire from their mothers or fathers.The mean dmft and the prevalence of dental caries for each age group were calculated.The results were analyzed using SPSS 13.0 software package for t test,one way ANOVA,x~2 test, Kruskal-Wallis H test and logistic regression analysis.Results:1.The prevalence of deciduous caries of all samples was 39.65%. The mean dmft score was 1.32.The filling rate was 7.59%.The prevalence of dental caries,filling rate and mean dmft increased gradually as the children were growing up.The prevalence of early childhood caries was 17.21%,and its mean dmft score was 0.82.The prevalence of early childhood caries and mean dmft increased gradually as the children were growing up.There were statistical significance in the distribution of prevalence rate of deciduous caries,filling and early childhood caries in age(P＜0.05).There were statistical significance in mean dmfs of deciduous caries and early childhood caries between the children aged 2 and the children aged 4,and also between the children aged 3 and the children aged 4.A close relationship was noticed between early childhood caries and caries in the primary molars(P＜0.05).2.The mean dmfs score of all samples was 1.70.The surfaces were, in order of caries,occlusal surface,mesial surface,distal surface,labial (buccal)surface and lingual(palatal)surface.The teeth were,in order of caries prevalence rate,Ⅰ(29.29%),(?)(24.78%),(?),Ⅱ,Ⅴ,Ⅳ,Ⅲ,(?), (?)and(?)(0.35%).3.There was no statistical significance in debris between children with caries of deciduous teeth and children without it(P＜0.05).4.The result of logistic regression analysis showed that the variables were age,premature birth,length of breast-feeding,nighttime bottle,oral examination and children looked after by others,which correlated to deciduous caries among 2 to-4-year-old children.The result of logistic regression analysis also showed that the variables were age,premature birth,nighttime bottle and oral examination,which correlated to early childhood caries.Breast-feeding was not related to early childhood caries (P＞0.05).Conclusions:1.Deciduous dental caries of 2 to 4-year-old children occurrenced earlier of Kaifu district in Changsha,and the filling rate was very low. The prevalence of dental caries of all samples was 39.65%.The mean dmft score was 1.32.The filling rate was 7.59%.The prevalence of ealy childhood caries was 17.21%.Necessary methods for prevention of deciduous caries must be taken into consideration as earlier as possible.2.Deciduous dental caries was dorsi-ventrally zygomorphic.Dental caries of maxillary deciduous central incisor and mandibular second deciduous molar were significantly more common than other tooth.3.The risk factors of dental caries among children aged from 2 to 4 years were premature birth,length of breast-feeding and nighttime bottle. And the noticeable causes of early childhood caries included premature birth and nighttime bottle.