Abstract
Objectives
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of various risk factors on dental caries increment in deciduous teeth of preschool children over 2.5 years.
Materials and methods
A longitudinal study was carried out in kindergartens in two German counties in Northern Hesse. At baseline examination in 2006–2007, the mean age of the children was 3.5 years. Caries experience was recorded according to WHO standards. Information about feeding practices during early childhood and preventive measures were collected by a structured questionnaire for each child.
Results
Three hundred ninety-five (69.8 %) of the 566 children showed no caries increment. A caries increase of 1 to 10 dmf-teeth was exhibited by 171 children (30.2 %). The mean dmf-t increment amounted to 0.75. The bivariate analysis revealed that the consumption of sugary food and beverages had a negative impact on oral health. Early start of toothbrushing, use of fluoridated children’s toothpaste, and frequent toothbrushing exerted a positive influence on dental health. Stepwise backward logistic regression analysis confirmed that a high social status has a significant positive impact on dental health (p = 0.028), whereas the consumption of sugary food and beverages was significantly associated with a higher dental caries increment (p = 0.004).
Conclusion
Obviously, it is not possible to limit the caries increment in children of low socioeconomic status as successfully as in children of high socioeconomic status.
Clinical relevance
There must be a stronger focus on families of low socioeconomic status when preventive measures are performed on groups or individuals.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Gussy MG, Waters EG, Walsh O, Kilpatrick NM (2006) Early childhood caries: current evidence for aetiology and prevention. J Paediatr Child Health 42:37–43
Seow WK (1998) Biological mechanisms of early childhood caries. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 26:8–27
Bowen WH (1998) Response to Seow: biological mechanisms in early childhood caries. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 26:28–31
Van den Branden S, Van den Broucke S, Leroy R, Declerck D, Hoppenbrouwers K (2013) Oral health and oral health-related behaviour in preschool children: evidence for a social gradient. Eur J Pediatr 172:231–237
Harris R, Nicoll AD, Adair PM, Pine CM (2004) Risk factors for dental caries in young children: a systematic review of the literature. Community Dent Health 21:71–85
Neuhäuser A (2006) Fluoroseprävalenz bei 15-Jährigen mit unterschiedlicher Fluoridexposition im Kindes- und Jugendalter. Med Diss Marburg
Pieper K (2012) Evaluation und Optimierung eines zahnmedizinischen Präventionsprogramms für Kinder mit erhöhtem Kariesrisiko—Abschlussbericht (FKZ: 01EL0617). http://edok01.tib.uni-hannover.de/edoks/e01fb11/655839291.pdf
Pieper K, Weber K, Margraf-Stiksrud J, Heinzel-Gutenbrunner M, Stein S, Jablonski-Momeni A (2013) Evaluation of a preventive program aiming at children with increased caries risk using ICDAS II criteria. Clin Oral Investig 17:2049–2055
Jöckel KH (1998) Messung und Quantifizierung soziodemographischer Merkmale in epidemiologischen Studien. In: Ahrens W, Bellach BM, Jöckel KH (eds) Messung soziodemographischer Merkmale in der Epidemiologie. RKI-Schriften 1/98. MMV Medizin Verlag, München
Winkler J (1998) Die Messung des sozialen Status mit Hilfe eines Index in den Gesundheitsurveys der DHP. In: Ahrens W, Bellach BM, Jöckel KH (eds) Messung soziodemographischer Merkmale in der Epidemiologie. RKI-Schriften 1/98. MMV Medizin Verlag, München, pp 69–74
Pieper K, Dressler S, Heinzel-Gutenbrunner M, Neuhäuser A, Krecker M, Wunderlich K, Jablonski-Momeni A (2012) The influence of social status on pre-school children’s eating habits, caries experience and caries prevention behavior. Int J Public Health 57:207–215
Landis JR, Koch GG (1977) The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. Biometrics 33:159–174
World Health Organization (1997) Oral health surveys—basic methods, 4th edn. World Health Organization, Geneva
Dyer TA, Marshman Z, Merrick D, Wyborn C, Godson JH (2008) School-based epidemiological survey and the impact of positive consent requirements. Br Dent J 205:589–592
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe Copenhagen (1999) Health 21 the health for all policy framework for the WHO European Region http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/98398/wa540ga199heeng.pdf
Pieper K (2010) Epidemiologische Begleituntersuchung zur Gruppenprophylaxe 2009. Gutachten aus den Bundesländern bzw. Landesteilen Schleswig-Holstein, Bremen, Hamburg, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein, Westfalen-Lippe, Hessen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Sachsen-Anhalt, Thüringen, Saarland, Bayern, Sachsen Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschlaft für Jugendzahnpflege, Bonn
Casamassimo PS, Thikkurissy S, Edelstein BL, Maiorini E (2009) Beyond the dmft: the human and economic cost of early childhood caries. J Am Dent Assoc 140:650–657
Vargas CM, Ronzio CR (2006) Disparities in early childhood caries. BMC Oral Health 6:3
Wong MCM, Lu HX, Lo ECM (2012) Caries increment over 2 years in preschool children: a life course approach. Int J Paediatr Dent 22:77–84
Ekman A (1990) Dental caries and related factors—a longitudinal study of Finnish immigrant children in the north of Sweden. Swed Dent J 14:93–99
Anderson CA, Curzon ME, Van Loveren C, Tatsi C, Duggal MS (2009) Sucrose and dental caries: a review of the evidence. Obes Rev 10:41–54
Pine CM, Adair PM, Nicoll AD, Burnside G, Petersen PE, Beighton D, Gillett A, Anderson R, Anwar S, Brailsford S, Broukal Z, Chestnutt IG, Declerck D, Ping FX, Ferro R, Freeman R, Gugushe T, Harris R, Lin B, Lo EC, Maupomé G, Moola MH, Naidoo S, Ramos-Gomez F, Samaranayake LP, Shahid S, Skeie MS, Splieth C, Sutton BK, Soo TC, Whelton H (2004) International comparisons of health inequalities in childhood dental caries. Community Dent Health 21:121–130
Finlayson TL, Siefert K, Ismail AI, Sohn W (2007) Psychosocial factors and early childhood caries among low-income African-American children in Detroit. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 35:439–448
Vanagas G, Milasauskiene Z, Grabauskas V, Mickeviciene A (2009) Associations between parental skills and their attitudes toward importance to develop good oral hygiene skills in their children. Medicina (Kaunas) 45:718–723
Splieth C, Schwahn C, Hölzel C, Nourallah A, Pine C (2004) Prävention nach Maß? Mundhygienegewohnheiten bei 3-4jährigen Kindern mit und ohne kariöse Defekte. Oralprophylaxe Kinderzahnheilkunde 26:106–109
Vanin A (2005) Milchzahnkaries und dentales Bewußtsein von Kindern im Vorschulalter in Zusammenhang mit sozio-ökonomischen Aspekten. Med Diss LMU München http://edoc.ub.uni-muenchen.de/3794/2/Vanin_Anna.pdf
van Loveren C, van Palenstein Helderman WH (2010) Regular and careful brushing with fluoride toothpaste is the basis of prevention. Ned Tijdschr Tandheelkd 117(3):161–165
Burt BD, Marthaler TM (1996) Fluoride tablets, salt fluoridation and milk fluoridation. In: Fejerskov O, Ektrand J, Burt B (eds) Fluoride in dentistry, 2nd edn. Munksgaard, Kopenhagen, pp 291–310
Pieper K, Schulte AG (2004) The decline in dental caries among 12-year-old children in Germany between 1994 and 2000. Community Dent Health 21:199–206
Schulte AG (2008) Fluoridiertes Speisesalz und Kariesprävention. Prophylaxe Impuls 12:118–125
Fabien V, Obry-Musset AM, Hedelin G, Cahen PM (1996) Caries prevalence and salt fluoridation among 9-year-old schoolchildren in Strasbourg, France. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 24:408–411
Pieper K, Born C, Hartmann T, Heinzel-Gutenbrunner M, Jablonski-Momeni A (2007) Association of preventive measures with caries experience expressed by outcome variables. Schweiz Monatsschr Zahnmed 117:1038–1044
Marinho VC, Higgins JP, Logan S, Sheiham A (2003) Topical fluoride (toothpastes, mouthrinses, gels or varnishes) for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 4, CD002782
Wong MCM, Glenny AM, Tsang BWK, Lo ECM, Worthington HV, Marinho VCC (2010) Topical fluoride as a cause of dental fluorosis in children (review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev :CD007693
Marinho VC, Worthington HV, Walsh T, Clarkson JE (2013) Fluoride varnishes for preventing dental caries in children and adolescents. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 7, CD002279
Borutta A, Reuscher G, Hufnagl S, Möbius S (2006) Caries prevention with fluoride varnishes among preschool children. Gesundheitswesen 68:731–734
Wang NJ, Aspelund GØ (2010) Preventive care and recall intervals. Targeting of services in child dental care in Norway. Community Dent Health 27:5–11
Verrips GH, Frencken JE, Kalsbeek H, TerHorst G, Filedt Kok-Weimar TL (1992) Risk indicators and potential risk factors for caries in 5-year-olds of different ethnic groups in Amsterdam. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 20:256–260
Reisine ST, Psoter W (2001) Socioeconomic status and selected behavioral determinants as risk factors for dental caries. J Dent Educ 65:1009–1016
Splieth C, Heyduck C (2005) Zahnärztlicher Gesundheitsbericht 2004/5 Jugendzahnärztl Dienst der Hansestadt Greifswald :1–11
Splieth C, Treuner A, Berndt C (2009) Orale Gesundheit im Kleinkindalter. Präv Gesundheitsf 4:119–123
Meyer K, Geurtsen W, Günay H (2010) An early oral health care program starting during pregnancy: results of a prospective clinical long-term study. Clin Oral Investig 14:257–264
Meyer K, Khorshidi-Böhm M, Geurtsen W, Günay H (2014) An early oral health care program starting during pregnancy—a long-term study-phase V. Clin Oral Investig 18:863–872
Tinanoff N, Reisine S (2009) Update on early childhood caries since the Surgeon General’s Report. Acad Pediatr 9:396–403
Acknowledgments
The study was supported by GABA International.
Conflict of interest
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Winter, J., Glaser, M., Heinzel-Gutenbrunner, M. et al. Association of caries increment in preschool children with nutritional and preventive variables. Clin Oral Invest 19, 1913–1919 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-015-1419-2
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-015-1419-2