Jose Babu, King Nigel M
Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR.
Pediatr Dent. 2003 Nov-Dec;25(6):594-600.
No data are available on possible risk indicators or the prevalence of caries lesions for preschool children under 4 years of age in Kerala, southern India. Therefore, the aims of this study were: (1) to gather data on caries lesion frequency and distribution; (2) to determine any possible associations with feeding habits and oral health care practices.
A sample of 530 children, aged from 8 to 48 months (mean=2.5+/-0.96 years), who attended 13 day care centers were clinically examined for caries lesions using a disposable mouth mirror, tongue spatula, and a torch light. There were 513 dentate children. The caregiver of each child then completed, by interview, a structured questionnaire.
Among the group of 252 girls and 278 boys, the dmft was 1.84+/-2.87 with 56% of the children being caries-lesion free. Fifty-nine (12%) were considered to have early childhood caries (ECC), based on the criteria that smooth surface caries lesions on all 4 maxillary incisor teeth indicated severe ECC. Breast-feeding was practiced by 99% of the mothers, and 5% did so exclusively. Generally, breast-feeding was on demand. Statistically significant correlations were found between caries lesions and the child's dental condition, as perceived by the mother or caregiver (P<.0001), the dental status of the caregiver (P=.0417), consumption of snacks (P=.0177), giving of sweets as a reward (P<.0001), cleaning of the child's mouth (P<.0001), oral hygiene status of the child (P<.0001) and low socioeconomic status, as measured by income (P<.0001).
From the results of this study of preschool children in Kerala, the groups at high risk from dental caries lesions are: (1) those with poor oral hygiene status; (2) those who consume snacks and are given sweets as rewards; (3) those belonging to a lower socioeconomic class.
在印度南部喀拉拉邦，尚无关于4岁以下学龄前儿童龋齿病变的可能风险指标或患病率的数据。因此，本研究的目的是：（1）收集龋齿病变频率和分布的数据；（2）确定与喂养习惯和口腔保健做法之间的任何可能关联。
对530名年龄在8至48个月（平均=2.5±0.96岁）、在13个日托中心接受照料的儿童，使用一次性口镜、压舌板和手电筒进行龋齿病变的临床检查。其中有513名有牙儿童。然后，通过访谈让每个孩子的照料者填写一份结构化问卷。
在252名女孩和278名男孩组成的群体中，乳牙龋失补牙面数（dmft）为1.84±2.87，56%的儿童无龋齿病变。根据所有4颗上颌乳切牙表面均有光滑面龋齿病变即表明为重度幼儿龋齿（ECC）的标准，59名（12%）儿童被认为患有幼儿龋齿。99%的母亲进行母乳喂养，其中5%为纯母乳喂养。一般来说，母乳喂养是按需进行的。在母亲或照料者所感知的龋齿病变与儿童的牙齿状况（P<0.0001）、照料者的牙齿状况（P=0.0417）、零食消费（P=0.0177）、用糖果作为奖励（P<0.0001）、清洁孩子口腔（P<0.0001）、孩子的口腔卫生状况（P<0.0001）以及以收入衡量的低社会经济地位（P<0.0001）之间，发现了具有统计学意义相关性。
根据对喀拉拉邦学龄前儿童的这项研究结果，龋齿病变的高危群体是：（1）口腔卫生状况差的儿童；（2）食用零食且被给予糖果作为奖励的儿童；（3）社会经济阶层较低的儿童。
