Early childhood caries among 3-5 year olds and their Caregivers' oral health knowledge, attitude and practice in Kiambaa division, Kenya
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Early Childhood Caries (ECC) denotes any form of caries
occurring in the primary dentition of children before 71 months of age. The
prevalence of ECC appears to be on the increase among preschool children in
Kenya.Change of diet from the traditional fibrous foods to western refined foods
coupledwith poor oral hygiene of the children may be part of the reason for the
increase. Oral health knowledge and attitudes of caregivers may influence
dietary habits and oral hygiene practices of their children.
OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence and patterns of ECC among 3-5 year
olds and their caregivers' oral health knowledge, attitude and practice in one
divisionof Kiambu District, Kenya.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study
conducted among 3-5 year old children. A list of schools from the District
Education office was used as the sampling frame. Stratified random sampling
was used. The schools were categorized into private and public. A table of
random numbers was used to select schools from each category until the sample
size was obtained. A total of 343 children were enrolled in the study. An oral
examination of the children was done under natural light using a dental probe
and mirror. ECC experience was assessed using decayed, missing, filled teeth
(dmft) index in accordance with World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria of
1997. Three hundred and forty three questionnaires were sent to the respective
child's caregiver. Information sought included caregivers oral health related
knowledge, attitudes and practices.
IX
DATA ANALYSIS: The data was analysed using SPSS 12.0.1 for Windows
version. Descriptive analysis was used to report cross-sectional data. Univariate
analyseswere performed using chi-square statistics and one- way ANOVA.
RESULTS: Slightly over a half, 201 (59.5%) had dental caries. The mean dmft
was 2.462:3.2 SD with the greatest component (95%) being decayed teeth.
Mandibular deciduous molars and maxillary incisors were the most frequently
affected teeth. Majority (94.4%) of the children brushed at least once daily.
Ninety five percent of the children used toothpaste. The caregivers' knowledge
on causes and prevention of caries was high. Although 85% of caregivers
reported that deciduous teeth were important, 57% preferred extraction of an
asymptomatic carious deciduous tooth.
CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of ECC was 59.5% while the dmft was 2.42:
3.2 with a mean decayed component of 2.36. Children from private pre-schools
had a statistically higher prevalence of ECC compared to those from public
preschools. Oral health knowledge among the caregivers was relatively high but
the role of infant feeding practices on ECC was low.
RECOMMENDATIONS: Initiate oral health education programmes integrated
with ANC, MCH/FP and School Health Education Programmes. Mobilise
community oral health workers to perform regular dental check-ups of preschool
children to enable prompt referral to the nearest dental health facility. Conduct
further research to elicit factors influencing dental health seeking behaviour and
dietary habits of the children.
Citation
Master of Dental SurgerySponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics School of Dental Sciences University of Nairobi