Dental Caries and Treatment Needs Among 3-6 Year-Old Children attending a dental clinic in Nairobi, Kenya.

Objectives: 1. The oral hygiene and dietary practices among 3 to 6 year
old children attending Lady Northey dental clinic.

2. The occurrence of dental caries among 3 to 6 year old
children attending Lady Northey dental clinic.

3. The treatment needs of children aged 3 to 6 years attending
Lady Northey dental clinic.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was used to determine the prevalence and occurrence of dental caries among 3 to 6 year old children attending Lady Northey dental clinic. An interview with the child’s parent/caregiver was used to collect data on the socio-demographic profile, oral hygiene and dietary practices. Clinical examination was carried out using The WHO, 2013 criteria for field studies and the Dental Caries experience and the corresponding treatment needs recorded.
Results: A high dietary sugar intake was reported among the children. The prevalence of dental caries was 95.5% with a mean dmft of 8.53 (+ 5.52 SD). The mean decayed component was highest of the dmft index with the values being higher among the males as compared to females. The highest dmft scores were obtained from children of the low socioeconomic status. The occurrence of dental caries was higher in the maxillary jaw as compared to the mandibular jaw. Most of the children in the study required restorations (87.5%), pulp therapy and stainless steel crowns (62.5%) and extraction (60.3%
Conclusions: The high prevalence of dental caries of 95.5% and its sequelae, raises a strong oral health concern. These findings might have been as a result of the poor oral hygiene, high sugar intake reported, caregiver’s poor attitude towards oral health and perception that primary teeth are not important.