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. 2011 Jan;1(1):27-30.
doi: 10.4103/2231-0762.86384.

Prevalence of early childhood caries among preschool children of low socioeconomic status in Bangalore city, India

H R Priyadarshini  1 , S S Hiremath  1 , M Puranik  1 , S M Rudresh  2 , T Nagaratnamma  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of early childhood caries among preschool children of low socioeconomic status in Bangalore city, India

H R Priyadarshini et al. J Int Soc Prev Community Dent. 2011 Jan.

Abstract

Aim: To assess the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) among preschool children of low socio- economic status in Bangalore city, India.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 566, 24-59 months old children attending various Anganwadi centers in Bangalore city, India, selected via cluster sampling. Caries experience was recorded using deft index (Greubbell, 1944). t Test, ANOVA, and Chi-square tests were used to find significant differences. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results: Prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) was 37.3% with a mean deft of 1.90 ± 3.38 ranging from 0 to 17 teeth. Out of 211 children with ECC, 94.3% had severe Early Childhood Caries (s-ECC) with a mean deft score of 5.35 ± 3.77. All of the deft was due to untreated caries. Mean caries experience of 36-47 months age group was significantly higher than other groups (P = 0.024).

Conclusions: The present study showed a 37.3% prevalence of ECC. There is a need for preventive and curative oral health programs in this section of the society.

Keywords: Children; early childhood caries; preschool; prevalence; s-early childhood caries.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared.

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