Early Childhood Caries – literature review on risk factors, prevalence and prevention

Abstract

Introduction. Early Childhood Caries (ECC), one of the most prevalent chronic diseases among children, is still a severe problem worldwide. It is an infectious disease of mineralized tooth tissue that can affect general health. Objective. The aim of thisstudy is to summarize evidence--based knowledge on the etiology, prevalence, clinical manifestation and management of ECC, as well as its consequences for proper development. Materials and method. The research included the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Only articles published in 2013 and later were reviewed. Brief description of the state of knowledge. The prevalence of ECC among countries is highly inhomogeneous. It is reported that in some countries more than a half of children suffer from ECC. Furthermore, ECC can vary in severity and is classified into 3 types: type 1 (mild to moderate), type 2 (moderate to severe), type 3 (severe). The most common risk factors include beverages containing sugar, large amounts and high frequency of sugar consumption along with the lack of proper oral hygiene. Studies have shown that social background can also strongly affect the probability of ECC occurrence. Depending on severity, ECC can lead to various consequences that have been divided into short-and long--term. ECC can even cause developmental problems. Summary. ECC is an entirely preventable disease. It appears that the awareness of gynaecologists and paediatricians may be one of the crucial factors. These specialists are the first doctors that have contact with the mother and her infant, thanks to chich they can convey knowledge about ECC before it appears. On the other hand, the final effect depends on parent's behaviour and willingness to apply the guidelines.

Taste preferences of preschoolers and parents’ contribution to shaping their children’s eating habits in the context of obesity development

“…Unfortunately, assessment of the frequency and intensity of caries in children participating in the current study was impossible in the conditions of the extant Covid-19 epidemic. However, based on the results of research carried out in previous years in children from this kindergarten, and on the basis of literature data [8][9][10], it may be judged that tooth decay is also a significant problem in the children included in this study.…”

“…A strong positive correlation was shown between the perception of sweet taste and the frequency of consuming sweets during the day, and the frequency and intensity of the cariogenic process in preschool children [8]. Also, Malinowski et al [9] noted the fact that the most common risk factors of early childhood caries include beverages containing sugar, large amounts and high frequency of sugar consumption, along with the lack of proper oral hygiene.…”

“…Clinical findings and literature data show that apart from childhood obesity, the second major problem for public health worldwide is the high incidence of dental caries in children [6]. Early childhood caries remains a global problem which is highly prevalent in preschool children [7,8,9,10]. In England (United Kingdom, or England specifically), in the 2017-2018 school year, about 25% of children aged 4-5 years were overweight or obese [11], and about the same percentage of children at this age had dental caries [12].…”

Polish pregnant women’s knowledge on early childhood caries prevention and oral hygiene in children

“…Early childhood caries (ECC) is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases among children, posing a major public health challenge [ 1 , 2 ]. It is estimated that 46.2% of children worldwide have dental caries in primary teeth [ 1 ].…”

“…It is estimated that 46.2% of children worldwide have dental caries in primary teeth [ 1 ]. In Poland, the problem of ECC affects 41.4% of children at the age of 3 and 86.9% of 6-year-old children [ 2 ]. From the global point of view, the incidence of ECC in Poland is very high, as confirmed, for example, in a report by the Ministry of Health as part of the General Oral Health Monitoring [ 3 ].…”