Prevalence of dental caries and toothbrushing habits among preschool children in Khartoum State, Sudan

Abstract

Background: Dental caries in preschool children remains a major dental public health problem and affects significant numbers of children in developed and developing countries. The incidence is increasing in developing countries, such as Sudan, because of lifestyle changes, absence of oral health-preventive services and inadequate access to oral health care. Objectives: This study assessed the prevalence of dental caries and toothbrushing habits among 3-to 5-year-old preschool children in Khartoum State, Sudan, and described the correlation between the mean decayed, missing and filled tooth (dmft) score for primary teeth with toothbrushing and sugar consumption. Materials and Methods: The subjects were 553 preschool children with their mothers/guardians, selected by random sampling from the kindergartens of the seven localities of Khartoum State, Sudan. Data were obtained through clinical examination using a modified World Health Organization (WHO) examination data-capture sheet and through structured administered interviews with mothers/guardians. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 52.4%, with a mean dmft score of 2.3. There was an increase in the dmft scores with increasing age. The frequency of children who brushed their teeth regularly at least once a day was high (83.4%), lower dmft scores were associated with starting toothbrushing earlier in life and with increased frequency of brushing per day. Eating sugar-containing food was significantly associated with dmft score. Conclusions: The prevalence of dental caries was found to be high among 3-to 5-year-old preschool children, and caries experience increased with age. This was mostly associated with sugar consumption and therefore calls for educational interventions to control sugar intake. The toothbrushing habit is well established in Khartoum State, Sudan, as a large number of children were found to be brushing their teeth regularly. No significant association was found between feeding habits and dmft score.Key words: Dental caries, preschool children, dmft, toothbrushing INTRODUCTIONDental caries in preschool children remains a major oral health problem because it affects significant numbers of preschool children worldwide 1 . There has been a decline in the prevalence of dental caries in children and adolescents in developed countries over the last 20 years, whereas in developing countries the prevalence of dental caries is increasing 2 . Globally, the highest prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth is found in children in Africa and South-East Asia 3 . In 2003, the prevalence of dental caries in 4-to 5-year-old children in Khartoum State, Sudan, was 5.5%, with a mean decayed, missing and filled tooth (dmft) score for primary teeth of 1.68 4 . Ten years later, in a study among 3-to 5-year-old children, a prevalence of dental caries of 65.5% with a mean dmft score of 3.53 and increased prevalence with increasing age was reported 5 . Dietary factors found to be a significant risk for caries are related to the amount, frequency and time of s...

Prevalence of early childhood caries among 5‐year‐old children: A systematic review

“…An initial screening of the title and abstract revealed that 551 articles were duplicates and 1707 articles did not meet the inclusion criteria. Full texts of the remaining 152 articles were assessed, and 37 studies were included in the present study . No additional publications were identified from the bibliography of these 152 articles.…”

“…Two studies conducted in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and Turkey), one in Africa (Sudan), and one in Oceania (Australia) were included. Of the 37 publications, 28 were from countries/districts with high or very high HDI scores (HDI > 0.70), while only one publication was from a country with a low HDI score (HDI < 0.55) (Table ) …”

“…Most of the studies were conducted in Asia (N = 20, China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Nepal, Taiwan, and Thailand), [21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] Europe (N = 7, Greece, Germany, Italy, and UK), [41][42][43][44][45][46][47] and in South America (N = 6, Brazil). [48][49][50][51][52][53] Two studies conducted in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia and Turkey), 54,55 one in Africa (Sudan), 56 and one in Oceania (Australia) 57 were included. Of the 37 publications, 28 were from countries/districts with high or very high HDI scores (HDI > 0.70), while only one publication was from a country with a low HDI score (HDI < 0.55) (Table 1).…”

“…Of the 37 publications, 28 were from countries/districts with high or very high HDI scores (HDI > 0.70), while only one publication was from a country with a low HDI score (HDI < 0.55) (Table 1). 56 Among the included articles, the prevalence of caries ranged from 22.5% in India to 90% in Indonesia, and the median of caries prevalence was 62.7%. Approximately two-thirds of the studies (26/37) reported a caries prevalence of >50% (Table 1).…”

Effects of oral health education in Myanmar preschool children and guardians

“…Dental caries, one of the most common oral diseases, has been declining in developed countries. This is attributed to many factors, including better oral hygiene, improved dietary habits, effective use of fluorides, and oral health‐promotion programs . Nevertheless, dental caries remains epidemic and is widely prevalent in children, especially underprivileged ones in developing countries…”