. 2021 Jun 9:2:670154.

doi: 10.3389/froh.2021.670154. eCollection 2021.

Oral Health Policies to Tackle the Burden of Early Childhood Caries: A Review of 14 Countries/Regions

Jieyi Chen¹, Duangporn Duangthip², Sherry Shiqian Gao², Fang Huang¹, Robert Anthonappa³, Branca Heloisa Oliveira⁴, Bathsheba Turton⁵, Callum Durward⁵, Maha El Tantawi⁶, Dina Attia⁶, Masahiro Heima⁷, Murugan Satta Muthu^{8

9}, Diah Ayu Maharani¹⁰, Morenik Oluwatoyin Folayan¹¹, Prathip Phantumvanit¹², Thanya Sitthisettapong¹², Nicola Innes¹³, Yasmi O Crystal¹⁴, Francisco Ramos-Gomez¹⁵, Aida Carolina Medina¹⁶, Edward Chin Man Lo², Chun Hung Chu²

Affiliations

¹ Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
² Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
³ Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁴ School of Dentistry, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
⁵ Faculty of Dentistry, University of Puthisastra, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
⁶ Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
⁷ Faculty of Dentistry, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
⁸ Centre for Early Childhood Caries Research (CECCRe), Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India.
⁹ Adjunct Research Associate, Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
¹⁰ Faculty of Dentistry, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
¹¹ Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria.
¹² Faculty of Dentistry, Thammasat University, Khlong Nueng, Thailand.
¹³ School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
¹⁴ College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, NY, United States.
¹⁵ School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
¹⁶ School of Dentistry, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.

PMID: 35048013
PMCID: PMC8757786
DOI: 10.3389/froh.2021.670154

Oral Health Policies to Tackle the Burden of Early Childhood Caries: A Review of 14 Countries/Regions

Jieyi Chen et al. Front Oral Health. 2021.

. 2021 Jun 9:2:670154.

doi: 10.3389/froh.2021.670154. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Guanghua School of Stomatology, Hospital of Stomatology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
² Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China.
³ Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia.
⁴ School of Dentistry, Rio de Janeiro State University, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
⁵ Faculty of Dentistry, University of Puthisastra, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
⁶ Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University, Alexandria, Egypt.
⁷ Faculty of Dentistry, Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan.
⁸ Centre for Early Childhood Caries Research (CECCRe), Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai, India.
⁹ Adjunct Research Associate, Centre of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates.
¹⁰ Faculty of Dentistry, University of Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.
¹¹ Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria.
¹² Faculty of Dentistry, Thammasat University, Khlong Nueng, Thailand.
¹³ School of Dentistry, Cardiff University, Cardiff, United Kingdom.
¹⁴ College of Dentistry, New York University, New York, NY, United States.
¹⁵ School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
¹⁶ School of Dentistry, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas, Venezuela.

PMID: 35048013
PMCID: PMC8757786
DOI: 10.3389/froh.2021.670154

Abstract

Aim: Early childhood caries (ECC) has significant public health implications but has received inadequate global attention. There is limited information regarding the success of oral health policies implemented to address the challenges of ECC. This review aimed to summarize such policies to tackle ECC from different countries/regions. Method: Independent collaborators from 14 countries/regions (Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Thailand, UK, USA, and Venezuela) collected the data. The ECC status, dental workforce, oral health policies on ECC prevention in different countries/regions were summarized by each country. Results: The findings indicated that ECC prevalence varied in different countries/regions. The lowest prevalence of ECC among 5-year-old children was found in Nigeria (7%), and the highest was found in Indonesia (90%). The existing dental workforce and resources are limited in most countries. The smallest dentist to population ratio was reported by Nigeria at 1:48,400, whereas the highest ratio was in Brazil (1:600). Out of 14, three (21%) countries namely India, Venezuela and Cambodia had no national oral health policies addressing ECC and four (29%) countries (Cambodia, China, India, Venezuela) had no publicly funded dental care program for 0-5-year-old children. Water fluoridation is available in four countries/regions (Australia, Brazil, Hong Kong, USA). Conclusion: ECC remains a global health challenge and dental workforce is limited. National/regional programs to tackle ECC are not yet prioritized in many countries/regions. Evidence to support demonstration projects is limited. Further research on the cost-effectiveness of interventions strategies is required for policymakers.

Keywords: child; dental caries; early childhood caries; fluorides; oral health; policy.

Copyright © 2021 Chen, Duangthip, Gao, Huang, Anthonappa, Oliveira, Turton, Durward, El Tantawi, Attia, Heima, Muthu, Maharani, Folayan, Phantumvanit, Sitthisettapong, Innes, Crystal, Ramos-Gomez, Medina, Lo and Chu.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Caries prevalence (%) and caries experience [decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) index] of primary teeth in children.

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Oral Health Policies to Tackle the Burden of Early Childhood Caries: A Review of 14 Countries/Regions

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Oral Health Policies to Tackle the Burden of Early Childhood Caries: A Review of 14 Countries/Regions

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