Abstract
Background: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a form of dental caries that affects children at an early age. The disease is characterized by a rapid progression and it usually affects smooth surfaces of the primary teeth.
Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the prevalence and identify risk factors for early childhood caries (ECC) among children between 0-6 years in Europe.
Method: The material used in this review is scientific publications mainly collected from the medical database PubMed. The results are based on a compilation of 15 scientific articles published between 2000-2014.
Results: The prevalence of ECC ranged from 13.0-85.0 % in different countries and populations in Europe. The lowest and highest occurrence of ECC was observed among children in Sweden. ECC was associated with dietary and oral hygiene habits, along with several socioeconomic factors, where the parent’s educational level, employment status and ethnicity were the most significant factors. Breastfeeding and the use of baby bottle were behavioral factors that showed an association with increased prevalence of ECC.
Conclusion: ECC exists in both Western and Eastern European countries. Dietary and oral hygiene habits are very important for the development of ECC, but the disease has also a relation with several behavioral and socioeconomic factors.
| Date of Award | 2014-Jun-16 |
|---|---|
| Original language | Swedish |
| Supervisor | Carina Mårtensson (Supervisor) & Stefan Renvert (Examiner) |
Educational program
- Study Programme in Oral Health
University credits
- 15 HE credits
Swedish Standard Keywords
- Dentistry (30216)
Keywords
- early childhood caries
- europe
- oral health
- prevalence
- risk factors
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