Cross-sectional Survey of Factors Associated With Caries in Deciduous Dentition

Objectives: Dental caries in deciduous dentition is a public health problem. It can begin early in life and progresses rapidly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of factors on caries in deciduous dentition at 1.5 and 3 years of age using recent information obtained from community-based dental health examinations.
Methods: The subjects were 1,324 infants born in a suburban community in Japan between 2004 and 2009. The community health section provided anonymous data obtained from dental examinations at 1.5 and 3 years of age. The association of the prevalence of caries in deciduous dentition with factors related to dental health was investigated.
Results: Bivariate analysis showed that the factors of cessation of milk feeding (χ² = 26.022, P < 0.0001) and diet immediately before sleeping (χ² = 22.893, P < 0.0001) were significantly associated with the prevalence of dental caries at 1.5 years of age. Tooth brushing by caregivers (χ² = 12.0, P = 0.0025), frequency of sweet consumption (χ² = 11.498, P = 0.0032), and birth year (χ² = 11.855, P = 0.0368) were significantly associated with the prevalence of dental caries at 3 years of age. Because more than 98 percent of the subjects received topical fluoride application, its effectiveness was unclear. Information on fluoride toothpaste was unavailable. Factors of behaviors related to milk and diet were risk factors at 1.5 years of age and factors of the health behavior of caregivers were risk factors at 3 years of age.
Conclusions: Risk factors for dental caries differed between the subjects at 1.5 and 3 years of age. Dental health instruction to prevent dental caries should take measures to cope with situations that differ depending on the subject’s age. Multiple fluoride use should be considered for future investigation.