Research Information System
IAPD21, 10 - 13 June 2021, pp.94, (Summary Text)
Background: This study evaluated the prevalence of dental caries and their risk factors on primary dentitions of
prematurely-born children (37 weeks) and term children.
Methods: Two hundred children were examined, 50 born
prematurely and 150 born term, in the age group between
0 and 6 years. The demographic variables, medical history,
feeding habits and oral health behaviors were recorded on
a questionnaire. The caries were registered, focusing on decayed, missing, filled primary teeth (dmft).
Results: 55% of the participants were female. While 61.5%
of them do not brush their teeth regularly; only 15% of them
brush their teeth twice a day. There was no significant relationship between gender (P = 0.42) and dmft scores. The
dmft scores of children with premature (P = 0.033) and low
birth weight (P = 0.017) were significantly higher than the
term group. A significant relationship was found between socioeconomic level (P = 0.04), feeding bottle use (P = 0.037),
brushing teeth (P = 0.043) and dmft (p 0.05).
Conclusions: It was concluded that prematurity and low
birth weight may be predisposing factors in the formation of
dental caries. More comprehensive studies are needed on this
subject. Early oral hygiene training should be given to families of premature and low birth weight children