Prevalence of Dental Caries in Children in Mymensingh and Its Associated Risk Factors: A Cross-Sectional Study

Early Childhood Caries-Prevalence, Associated Factors, and Severity: A Hospital-Based Study in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Early childhood caries (ECC) is not merely a problem of the tooth; rather, it has negative impacts on the child's growth and development and oral health-related quality of life. The prevalence of ECC varies widely, and more variance is observed between countries than continents, and it changes over time. The current cross-sectional study aimed to determine ECC's prevalence, associated factors, and severity. This study was conducted in the Dental Clinic Complex, North Riyadh, KSA. The study sample included 306 participants between 36 and 71 months of age. A questionnaire was developed to collect information from participants. The decaying and filled teeth (DMFT) index was used to estimate the prevalence of caries. The study results revealed the prevalence of ECC to be 76% among 36- to 71-month-old children in North Riyadh. ECC is influenced by socioeconomic factors like maternal occupation, education, oral hygiene habits, and dietary patterns. Also, it was found that exclusively breastfed children have lower ECC odds (68.1% vs. 83.6%, p = 0.001), while the intake of more than three between-meal sugar-containing snacks/beverages per day increases the likelihood of ECC (63.5% vs. 79.8%, p = 0.006). The researchers recommend encouraging breastfeeding as it correlates with lower ECC prevalence, in addition to establishing effective oral hygiene practices for preschool children.

Maternal factors associated with early childhood caries among 3-5-year-old children with low socio-economic status in Trishal, Bangladesh

Introduction

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is more prevalent in nations where a larger portion of the population resides below the poverty line. This study aimed to evaluate the connections between maternal awareness, attitudes, practices related to oral health, and the occurrence of ECC among children aged 3-5 years in Bangladesh, a low-middle income country with high level of poverty.

Methods

This cross-sectional study recruited mother-child pairs with a focus on children aged 3-5 years from low socioeconomic backgrounds in Trishal, Bangladesh. Data collected included maternal oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Clinical examinations were conducted to check for dental plaque on the upper central incisors' labial surfaces. ECC was identified using the ICDAS II index criteria. Associations between maternal oral health knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and children's plaque score and caries status were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression, and adjusting for confounding variables (child's age, gender, mother's age, education, and number of children).

Results

Among 532 mother-child pairs, 491 (93.2%) mothers were unaware of the role of fluoride in preventing caries, while 516 (97%) recognized the importance of using fluoridated toothpaste during brushing. Additionally, 520 (97.7%) mothers reported not knowing how to brush their child's teeth, and 87 (16.4%) brushed their children's teeth twice daily. Visible dental plaque was observed in 420 (78.9%) children, and 321 (60.3%) had ECC. Higher plaque score increased the odds of ECC in the study population (AOR: 5.617, 95% CI: 3.511-8.987).

Conclusions

Mothers of preschool children with low socioeconomic status were poorly aware of caries preventive behaviors and had suboptimal oral health practices for their children. The plaque score was the only oral health factor that seems to increase the risk for ECC among children with low socio-economic status in Bangladesh. It is imperative to prioritize support and interventions aimed at improving oral hygiene practices to reduce ECC risk in this population.

Risk Factors of Dental Caries in the Thai Population: The Retrospective Cohort Study

Aim

The aim of this retrospective cohort study was to determine the risk factors associated with the occurrence of dental caries increments in Thai dental patients.

Materials and Methods

The dental chart records of 500 patients who visited the Department of Advanced General Dentistry, Mahidol University during 2003-2013 were included in this research. Risk factors such as age, gender, medical history, marital status, routine oral checkup, oral appliance usage, initial and final records of decayed (DT)-missing-filled (DMF-T), dental history of tooth extraction due to caries, xerostomia, presence of visible plaque, presence of interproximal restoration, and caries risk level were retrieved from dental records. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to determine the association of caries risk factors and new dental caries increments.

Results

The results indicated that the rate of incidence of new dental caries was 2.1 per 100 person-month. In the multivariate hazard model, past caries experience in more than three teeth (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.29, 95%CI: 1.53-3.44) and xerostomia (adjusted hazard ratio: 4.47, 95%CI: 1.82-10.98) were independent risk factors of dental caries increments. Other factors, such as demographic data, physical factors, clinical factors, and other contributing factors, were not associated with the incidence of new dental caries.

Conclusion

The presence of past caries experience and xerostomia were predictors of the occurrence of new dental caries.

Prevalence and correlates of dental caries among 2-5 years children with special reference to breastfeeding in Kamrup District, Assam

Background

Dental caries among children is one of the most common health-related issues worldwide.

Aim

To find out the prevalence of dental caries among 2-5 years old children in Kamrup district of Assam with reference to breastfeeding and associated variables.

Materials and Methods

In this community-based cross-sectional study, 1439 children were examined from 15 wards of Kamrup Metro and four randomly chosen blocks of Kamrup Rural. Children were examined to assess the mean decayed/filled primary teeth (dmft) index, and a self-administered validated questionnaire was given to the mothers to collect data on the practice of breastfeeding initiation, its duration, and dental hygiene habits.

Results

Dental caries prevalence was found to be higher in urban areas (54.6%) than rural areas (45.4%). The frequency of using toothpaste was highest among the tooth-cleaning materials. A significant difference in caries prevalence was observed among the children, those who brushed twice a day, and those who did not brush (P = 0.039). The difference was significant in the mean dmft of children from the upper socioeconomic class (P = 0.023) compared with the other classes. A significant difference was also observed between breastfeeding duration (P = 0.010), exclusive and nonexclusive breastfeeding, time of initiation of breastfeeding within 12 h (P < 0.001), and alternative feeding with caries prevalence (P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Dental caries were higher in urban localities and upper socioeconomic classes. Breastfeeding initiation and duration may play an important role in the causation of dental caries. No significant association was found between colostrum, prelacteal feeding, and caries prevalence.

Interactive Effect of Salivary Protein Carbonyl, Total Glutathione, pH, and Flow Rate on Root Caries Severity: A Case-Control Study

Aims and Objectives

Oxidant and antioxidant components in saliva play an essential role in caries development. The purpose of the current study was to disclose the interactive effect of salivary protein carbonyl (PC), total glutathione (GSH), pH, and flow rate on root caries severity.

Materials and Methods

The control and study groups consisted of 90 older adults of both genders classified into six groups: normal salivary flow rate with no root caries (control), normal salivary flow rate with incipient root caries, normal salivary flow rate with shallow root caries, hyposalivation with no root caries, hyposalivation with incipient root caries, and hyposalivation with shallow root caries. Each group consisted of 15 older adults. The study participants were selected from those patients who attended the teaching hospital at the College of the Dentistry/University of Baghdad and fit the study's criteria. Unstimulated saliva was collected. Both salivary pH and flow rate were determined immediately. After that, saliva was subjected to biochemical analysis to determine PC and total GSH levels colorimetrically. Root surface caries was diagnosed clinically using the Root Caries Index. Data were statistically analyzed using descriptive statistics, two-way univariate analysis of variance, two-way multivariate analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation coefficient (α = 5%).

Results

Salivary total glutathione revealed a significant interactive effect with salivary flow rate and root decay severity. Levels of salivary total GSH were significantly higher in subjects with shallow root caries than those with incipient root caries; no root caries levels of salivary PC were significantly high in the hyposalivation group, but no correlation with caries severity was found. High root caries severity was found to be associated with reduced salivary pH and flow rate.

Conclusion

A significant interactive effect was recorded for salivary flow rate, pH, and total GSH on root caries severity except for salivary PC.

Caries Experience and Treatment Needs in Urban and Rural Environments in School-Age Children from Three Provinces of Ecuador: A Cross-Sectional Study

In Ecuador, national epidemiological surveys have not been updated; however, some regional studies in the northern areas of the country still report a high prevalence of dental caries. The aim of this study was to determine the experience, severity, and need for treatment of dental caries in school children aged 6 to 12 years in urban and rural settings in three provinces of southern Ecuador. This cross-sectional, relational study examined 1938 schoolchildren in the provinces of Azuay, Cañar, and Morona Santiago. The survey instruments were based mainly on the WHO manual Methods of Oral Health Surveys (dmft) for primary and permanent dentition (DMFT), as well as the prevalence, severity, and Significant Caries Index (SCI). The parametric Student’s t-test was used to compare two groups, and the Spearman’s Rho and Tau-c Kendall correlation coefficients were used to associate the categorical variables. Results: The prevalence of caries in the primary dentition was 78% and 89.2% in the permanent dentition. The dmft (M = 4.12, SD = 2.86) and DMFT (M = 3.62: SD = 3.07) placed the general group in a moderate caries index. The need for treatment was 90.68% in the primary dentition, while it was 87.99% in the permanent dentition. Caries severity in both dentitions was high (M = 7.74; SD = 3.42). Conclusions. Alarming indicators of caries experience and the need for treatment were observed in the population studied.

Prevalence of Methicillin and β−Lactamase Resistant Pathogens Associated with Oral and Periodontal Disease of Children in Mymensingh, Bangladesh

Oral and periodontal diseases (OPD) is considered one of the main problems of dentistry worldwide. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of oral and periodontal pathogenic bacteria along with their antimicrobial resistance pattern in 131 children patients aged between 4–10 years who attended in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital during October 2019 to March 2020. OPD pathogens were identified through isolation, cultural and biochemical properties, and nucleic acid detection. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility to 12 antibiotics commonly used in dentistry. In addition, the isolates were analyzed molecularly for the presence of six virulence and three antibacterial resistance genes. Five pathogens were identified, of which Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) (49%) and S. salivarius (46%) were noticed frequently; other bacteria included S. mutans (16.8%), S. sobrinus (0.8%) and L. fermentum (13.7%). The virulence genes—clumping factor A (clfA) was detected in 62.5% isolates of S. aureus, and gelatinase enzyme E (gelE) gene was detected in 5% isolates of S. salivarius, while other virulence genes were not detected. All the tested isolates were multidrug-resistant. The overall prevalence of MDR S. aureus, Streptococcus spp. and L. fermentum was 92.2%, 95.1% and 100%, respectively. It was observed that a high proportion of isolates were found resistant to 5–8 antibiotics. A majority of S. aureus, Streptococcus spp., and L. fermentum isolates tested positive for the β−lactamase resistance genes blaTEM and cfxA, as well as the methicillin resistance gene mecA. Phylogenetically, the resistance genes showed variable genetic character among Bangladeshi bacterial pathogens. In conclusion, S. aureus and S. salivarius were major OPD pathogens in patients attended in Mymensingh Medical College Hospital of Bangladesh, and most were Beta-lactam and methicillin resistant.