The results suggest that the CFSS-DS is reliable and valid and operates in Japan as it does in other cultures.

Background: This study established the reliability and cross-cultural validity of a Japanese version of the Dental Fear Survey (DFS).

The aim of this study was to assess risk behaviors and its association with caries activity and dental caries in Japanese children. The subjects were 392 young Japanese children who underwent dental health checkup at 18, 30 and 42 months of age. Oral examinations, Cariostat tests and dental health questionnaires were carried out at each time. The caries prevalence of children was 1.5% at 18 months, 9.9% at 30 months and 28.1% at 42 months. Caries activity based on the Cariostat scores of children was correlated with caries status (caries-free/carious) at 42 months. In children with caries during each examination period at 42 months, eating snacks while playing was ranked as the most important behavioral risk (PϽ0.001), followed by breast-feeding (PϽ0.01), non setting of time for snacks (PϽ0.05) and frequency of snacks (PϽ0.05) at 18 months old; non brushing by mother (PϽ0.05) and eating snacks while playing (PϽ0.05) were ranked highest at 30 months old. In addition, eating snacks while playing (PϽ0.001) at 42 months old was the only a significant factor for children with caries. Caries activity and risk behaviors were associated with caries experience at different age periods of childhood. invented by Shimono in 1974 3). The test measures acid production capacity and can predict the occurrence of caries with good validity and reliability in young children or effective for screening high-risk populations in young children 4,5). The colonization of the mouth by cariogenic bacteria is by human transmission, mostly from mothers, fathers, caregivers to infants, and depends upon the rearing style given to infants and the quantity of harbored bacteria of the rearing individual. There is no single test that takes into consideration all these factors and can accurately predict an individual's susceptibility to caries. The risk of dental caries can be evaluated by analyzing and integrating several causative factors. Thus, this study was made to analyze risk behaviors that cause dental decay and assess risk behaviors and its association with caries activity and dental caries in Japanese children.

The first stage of early childhood caries (ECC) is infection by mutans streptococci, of which the primary infection source is the child's mother. Early intervention programs including antenatal and postnatal phases are effective for reducing ECC. This study was conducted to assess the respective effects of antenatal health care and postnatal care such as regular dental check-ups on reducing ECC among 3-year-old Japanese children. This nested case-control study of 155 three-year-old children (49.0% boys) was conducted at a dental clinic that provides collaborative health services with the Obstetrics and Gynecology Clinic, Okayama. Child characteristics and the mothers' antenatal data were collected retrospectively from the dental charts. They were divided into two groups: caries-free children (n = 77) and children without ECC (n = 78). Most of the children (81.9%) received regular check-ups with topical fluoride application. Most of the mothers reported morning sickness during pregnancy (81.3%), normal delivery (72.9%), and used antenatal health care (80.6%). Over half (55.5%) were primigravida. Adjusted odds ratio (AOR) and 95% confidential interval (95% CI) were computed to assess the strength of association using logistic regression analysis. Receiving antenatal health care (AOR, 3.27; 95% CI,) and child's having regular check-ups (AOR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.35-8.69) were significantly associated with caries-free status among three-year old children. For ECC prevention, antenatal health care is as effective as regular check-ups up to three years of age. The results of this retrospective study demonstrate that maternal health education during pregnancy is effective for ECC prevention.