The epidemiology of dental caries in preschool inner-city children

Objectives: To assess caries prevalence in 12-60 month old children enrolled in six inner-city childcare centers by means of Teledentistry. Methods: At each childcare center images of the deciduous dentition were obtained by trained Telehealth Assistant using an intraoral camera. Images were entered into a web-based storage and retrieval program maintained by Health-e-Access, University of Rochester, Department of Pediatrics. Images were transmitted to a secure remote-site computer and evaluated by a calibrated pediatric dentist. Each child was examined for the presence or absence of dental caries in the primary dentition, as measured by the dfs/dft index. Results: Of 201 children screened, 84 (approximately 42%) were caries active. The mean dfs score was 1.72 (SD= 3.23) with a range of 0 to 20 carious surfaces. The mean dft score was 1.20 (SD=1.96) with a range of 0 to 10 carious teeth. Children classified as “other” ethnicity (n=3) had the highest mean dfs score of 4.00, followed by African-American children (n=129, dfs= 2.08), Hispanic children (n=62, dfs= 0.95) and Caucasian children (n=7, dfs=0.87). Females had a higher mean dfs score (dfs=1.87, SD= 3.40) than males (dfs= 1.52, SD=3.01). Less than 5% of the screened children showed evidence of being treated for caries. Five year old children had the highest caries rate (dfs=3.63, SD=4.21). Referrals for preventive or restorative care were provided for all children participating in the study. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that very young children enrolled in inner-city childcare centers showed high prevalence of untreated carious lesions.

Supported by Monroe County Department of Health and NIH/NIDCR K23 DE 017230