Association of childhood feeding practices and occurrence of early childhood caries: A cross sectional study among children under 5 years of age across two urban slum areas of

Abstract

Introduction Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is the occurrence of a carious lesion in a primary tooth in children less than 71 months. It is a significant dental problem that has negative effects on the growth and development of children affected. The objective of this study was to explore the association between early childhood feeding practices and the occurrence of dental caries in children under the age of 5 living in the selected slums of Dhaka city. Method ECC and risk factors were examined using data from 402 children (between ages of 6 months and less than 5 years old) recruited via systematic random sampling and cross-sectional explorative study design in Dhaka's Dholpur and Korail slums. The age, sex, socioeconomic position, oral hygiene practices, childhood-feeding practices, mother’s knowledge of oral health, and oral health seeking practices of children were collected from their mothers through a guided questionnaire tool. In addition, the oral hygiene and caries status of children were evaluated using the Decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index. Using chi-square and logistic regression analysis, risk variables related with ECC were identified. Findings Fifty-five children (14 %) children had ECC. There was association between ECC and the child's age and consumption of sugary foods. Compared to 0-11-month-olds, 48-59-month-olds had 25 times more dental caries. Children who don't eat sugary foods are less likely to have dental caries, while those who do are three times as likely. Conclusion ECC is low in the population under study, but increasing mothers' oral health knowledge may lead to better oral hygiene behaviors and reduced sugary snack intake. It would be helpful to undertake more study to evaluate ECC risk factors to recommend appropriate strategies based on risk factors and dissemination of information / build awareness to reduce the occurrence.