Wanjau J, du Plessis J B
Dept. Stomatological Studies, Box D31, MEDUNSA, 0204.
SADJ. 2006 Oct;61(9):390-2, 394.
Early Childhood Caries (ECC) can be defined as dental caries in preschool children. There is a lack of data on the prevalence of ECC at a global, national, regional and district level. Hence the severity and extent of the disease is unknown.
The purpose of the study was to establish the prevalence of ECC among 3- to 5-year-old children from the Philadelphia district in Mpumalanga.
A cross sectional study was conducted on 269 children aged between 3 and 5 years. The caries status was determined using the decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) index as described by WHO 1997. RESULTS The percentage caries free individuals were 74.6%, 44.2% and 46.6% and the dmft values were 0.93, 2.69 and 2.18 for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds respectively. The mean mt and ft values for 3- and 4-year-olds was zero. Among the 5-year-olds, the mean mt and ft values was 0.01 and 0.02 respectively.
For a rural community the prevalence of ECC is high. Virtually all caries in preschool children from this community is left untreated. There is a need for a properly planned preventive strategy for this community.
幼儿龋齿（ECC）可定义为学龄前儿童的龋齿。目前全球、国家、地区和县级层面均缺乏幼儿龋齿患病率的数据。因此，该疾病的严重程度和范围尚不清楚。
本研究旨在确定姆普马兰加省费城地区3至5岁儿童中幼儿龋齿的患病率。
对269名3至5岁儿童进行了横断面研究。按照世界卫生组织1997年描述的方法，使用龋失补牙（dmft）指数确定龋齿状况。结果3岁、4岁和5岁儿童的无龋个体百分比分别为74.6%、44.2%和46.6%，dmft值分别为0.93、2.69和2.18。3岁和4岁儿童的平均mt和ft值为零。在5岁儿童中，平均mt和ft值分别为0.01和0.02。
对于一个农村社区来说，幼儿龋齿的患病率很高。该社区学龄前儿童几乎所有的龋齿都未得到治疗。需要为该社区制定一个规划合理的预防策略。
