DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES

Aim. This study was carried out in order to investigate the prevalence, the degree of severity and related feeding habits of baby bottle caries in children who have required dental care at Department of Pediatric Dentistry. Materials and methods. This research was performed in 216 children: 91 boys and 125 girls aged between 3-8 years old. The examined subjects were pre-school and school populations from Suceava county. Results and discussion. The incidence of ECC in Suceava county, in 2006 was 0.047%. About 10.7% of the examined children presented severe temporary tooth decay, due to the prolonged use of nursery bottles. A percentage of 60.8% of these children presented complicated caries with or without tooth crown destruction. The most prevalent habit was sweetened milk (33.3%), honey, sweetened tea and juices (16.7%). Conclusions. This study attempts to give indications regarding the degree of severity of ECC in affected children. Baby bottle caries can cause severe lesions. A most one half of children presented pulpal and periapical involvement of affected teeth with or without tooth crown destruction.