CHARACTERISTICS OF DENTAL MORBIDITY PREVALENCE IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN LIVING IN NUCLEAR AND RECONSTITUTED FAMILIES

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. Dental diseases in preschool children do not appear to tend downward. According to the literature, the prevalence of dental decay and its complications in preschool children reaches 70%, dental abnormalities more than 80%, and periodontal diseases and oral mucosa diseases up to 98%. There are some data described in literature, regarding how family types affect the overall incidence in children. At the same time, the impact of family type on the children dental health has not been studied a lot so far. Taking this into account, this paper provides data on dental morbidity in preschool children living in nuclear and reconstituted families. The aim of the study is to examine the pattern of prevalence of major dental diseases in preschool children living in nuclear or reconstituted families. Materials and Methods. Preschool children of different ages and their parents took part in this study. During the study, we identified reconstituted and nuclear families, the children from which families constituted the subject of the study. In total, the study examined 1,929 children from 1,842 nuclear families and 166 children from 146 reconstituted children. Results and Discussions. The study found that the most important dental diseases occur in children of the earliest age, before 1 year of life. With the passage of time and the child’s growth, their dental morbidity progresses and reaches its peak among preschool children aged 4.6-6 years. Children living in reconstituted families were significantly more susceptible to the onset and progression of major dental diseases than those from nuclear families. Conclusions. The impact of family type on dental morbidity in preschool children should be considered while planning the prevention and medical examination programs, which will help identify dental diseases at an early stage, prevent the development of complications, and optimize health care costs for the treatment and prevention of dental diseases in preschool children