The Effect of S-ECC on Growth in Young Children

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare growth between children with Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) and their caries free counterparts. Methods:  A longitudinal observational study was conducted which included a group of children with S-ECC and a comparison group of caries-free children presenting for care at the pediatric dental clinics at the Children's National Medical Center (Washington, D.C.), Columbus Children's Hospital (Columbus, OH) and Cincinnati Children's Medical Center (Cincinnati, OH). Information was collected on: sociodemographic variables, height, weight, BMI and dietary intake using the Block Food Frequency questionnaire for children and the University of Minnesota Nutrition Data System.  Results: The mean age of all study participants was 3yrs 9mos (±10mos) with no significant difference in age between children with S-ECC (n=454) and caries free children (n=429). The proportions of males (50.6%) and females (49.4%) were relatively equal. The majority of children were either black (46%) or white (43%) with 7.3% classified as biracial and 3.7% as other races. At baseline, on average, the children with S-ECC were taller (p=0.036) and heavier (p=0.006) than their caries free counterparts. The BMI of children with S-ECC (17.4 ±3.8) was higher than that of caries free children (16.7 ±3.8) p=0.006.  Conclusion: These baseline findings suggest that children with S-ECC are on average taller and heavier  than their caries free counterparts. This study was supported by NIDCR and NCMHD NIH Cooperative Agreement U54 DE14264.