JIDAM
"An Official Journal of IDA - Madras
Branch" ©2019.
Available online
Background: Caries is one of the globally prevailing most common microbial disease of the oral cavity. The factors contributing to the high prevalence of ECC (early childhood caries) are lack of knowledge & education of the parent mostly mothers, their familial background, employment and socioeconomic status along with the child’s inherent immunity against the pathogens present in their oral flora, feeding intervals and usage of sweeteners and pacifiers. This study was conducted to appraise the influence of the mothers on the risk factors associated with ECC.
Materials and Methods: Three play schools were selected based upon our accessibility and mothers of all the children attending these schools were included in the study. The final sample size was 101.
Results: The age of the study subjects ranged from 21 to 40 years, mean age being 30.5+4.01 years. It was seen that, children’s neglect towards brushing was around 51.5% among educated mothers and among class-2 socioeconomic status and it was statistically significant; p=0.019 and p=0.021 respectively. Also, 52.5% mothers from both educated and class-2 socioeconomic status reported that they were aware of the importance of cleaning gum pads which was statistically significant; p=0.008 and p=0.042, respectively.
Conclusion: Eradication of early childhood caries (ECC) is possible by reducing the associated risk factors with proper education of mothers regarding the feeding habits, to inculcate proper brushing habits among their children and their necessity for a balanced diet along with a dental check-up once in 6 months.
Early childhood caries, risk, awareness.
JIDAM/Volume:6/Issue:2/Pages 46 - 51/April-Jun 2019