Impact of Severe Early Childhood Caries on General Health in a Group of Egyptian Preschool Children

Abstract

Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a common chronic disease affecting young children and is considered a significant public health problem, it can be diagnosed in severe cases as severe early childhood caries (S-ECC). Children with S-ECC often suffer from pain, dietary changes, sleep disorders and behavioral changes. Methods: 1000 Egyptian children aged 3-6 years, including 100 children having complete blood count records participated in this case control study. Children were selected as 500 caries free and 500 with severe early childhood caries. Height and weight were measured for each child. Children who had CBC analysis for medical reason, Hb level was recorded. Results: there was insignificant difference between caries free and S-ECC groups regarding all BMI categories (P > 0.05). Children with low Hb levels (anemic) were significantly higher in S-ECC group than their caries free peers (P < 0.05). Conclusions: there was insignificant correlation between caries distribution and BMI, although there was a negative correlation between caries status and Hb level, indicating that S- ECC has a negative effect on child general health.