Prevalence of Severe Early Childhood Caries in Pre-School Children in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, India

Objectives: Despite advances in the oral health of children in recent decades, early childhood caries (ECC) continues to pose a serious threat. The purpose of this study was to determine prevalence of severe ECC in children less than five years of age over the duration of two years.Study participants and methods: This retrospective study included 709 children attending the department of pediatric dentistry at the PDM Dental College and Research Institute, Bahadurgarh, Haryana between 2008 and 2010. The sample size constituted of 394 boys and 315 girls aged between 1 and 5 years (mean age = 4.31 ± .91 years). Severe ECC was determined as per the guidelines of American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD). Statistical Analysis: Chi-square and ANOVA were used. Results: The prevalence S-ECC was 42.03%. The overall mean dmfs was 5.08 +/5.56. The statistical analysis highlighted insignificant relation between prevalence of S-ECC with respect to gender and age, though in general, Ip S-ECC (Girls) was higher than Ip S-ECC (boys). With respect to age distribution, higher prevalence of S-ECC was noted in the age group of 3 and 5 years. Conclusion: The increase in the percentage of children seeking treatment at the age of 5 years and above indicated less awareness among parents on the subject. Sustained efforts are still needed in order to find more appropriate methods to educate parents regarding the prevention of this caries pattern. Oral health promotion programs should be extended to all health care facilities where children from all socio-economic levels are visiting from infancy on.