Early Childhood Caries and Behaviours in Pre-school Children in Cambodia

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is prevalent in Cambodia, however research on this subject is lacking. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the oral health status and associated behaviors of rural preschool children in Cambodia. Methods: Consent was obtained from a convenience sample of 172 preschool children and their mothers/primary caregivers (M/C) from Kompong Speu and Prey Veng provinces. Interviews of M/C were conducted followed by oral examinations of children. The SPSS software package was used to conduct univariate and bivariate analyses to describe the participants and identify statistically significant relationships between caries experience and oral health behaviors of the children. Results: 95 pre-school children from Kampong Speu and 77 from Prey Veng province were included. The mean age was 43.2 months (SD 20.5). 51.2% were boys. The prevalence of caries, Severe Early Childhood Caries (SECC) and pulpally-involved teeth were 72.1%, 73.5%, and 34.9%. The mean dmft, PUFA (pulpal involvement, ulceration, fistula, abscess) score, and pufa ratio (pufa/dmft) were 6.8+ 5.9, 1.2+2.3, and 0.1+0.2. Those children who had their teeth cleaned had a significantly lower mean dmft (5.0+5.4 versus 7.5+5.5), and lower pufa ratio (0.1+0.2 versus 0.2+0.2) than those who did not (p<0.05; Mann-Whitney test). Those children who had help cleaning their teeth had a significantly lower prevalence of dental caries (61.8%, 81.8%), SECC (63.0%, 89.1%), and mean dmft (5.1+5.0, 8.6+6.4) (p<0.05; χ2 test). Among those who cleaned, there was no significant difference in caries experience with respect to use of toothpaste or frequency of tooth brushing. Conclusions: The results support other studies which have shown that cleaning teeth with fluoride toothpaste reduces caries experience. The children in this sample had high caries prevalence and severity; those children who cleaned their teeth and were helped to clean their teeth had lower caries experience than those who did not.