The prevalence and risk factors of Early Childhood Caries among 3-year-old children in Wenzhou

Abstract

Background This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) among 3-year-old children in Wenzhou China. Methods Kindergarten children aged 3 were recruited using a stratified cluster sampling method. Dental examinations were conducted by one trained dentist, and oral health-related data were collected. Examinations were surface-specific for dental caries, following World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Bivariate tests and logistic regression models were used to assess the association between ECC and different risk factors. Results A total of 693 children were recruited for the study, and 445 completed the dental examination. Among the 445 children, the prevalence of ECC was 59.8%. The mean decayed, missing, and filled primary teeth (dmft) was 2.9, and of the total dmft, only 6.3% were filled. The mean decayed, missing, and filled primary surface (dmfs) was 4.9. Logistic regression analyses identified age and parents’ oral health knowledge level were associated with the experience of ECC (P<0.05). Conclusions A higher prevalence of ECC was observed and most of the carious teeth were untreated. The experience of ECC was related to age and parents’ oral health knowledge level.