Early childhood Caries Pattern in Venezuelan Children
Objective: Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) in children residing in Maracaibo city, Maracaibo Municipality, Zulia State, Venezuela.
Method: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out. One hundred sixty three children ages 2 to 5 years were selected from an Elementary School in Maracaibo city, Zulia State. A calibrated examiner (kappa=0.91) performed the clinical examination following the criteria of ICDAS II, modified for epidemiological studies. All tooth surfaces were evaluated using artificial light and drying of surfaces with gauze..
Result: The prevalence of ECC was 58.3% for the studied population. Forty three percent of the 2 to 3 year old children and 65% of the 4 to5 years old children were affected by the disease. Non cavitated lesions were the most frequent lesions being detected in 1 out of 3 children examined.
Conclusion: Preventive interventions are needed before children reaching 3 years of age to prevent the onset and progression of ECC.