Prevalence and Risk Factors of Early Childhood Caries in the Olomouc region, Czech Republic. A Cross-sectional Epidemiological Study

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ABSTRACT

Aim

The study aims to determine the Early Childhood Caries (ECC) prevalence in the Olomouc region, Czech Republic, and to evaluate the associated risk factors in a group of children aged up to six years.

Methods

A cross-sectional epidemiological study on ECC prevalence and risk factors was conducted in the Olomouc region, Czech Republic, from January to December 2024. The cohort involved 104 children aged up to six years who received a dental examination in their kindergartens, following parental written informed consent and a questionnaire completion. ECC prevalence was assessed, and risk factors were identified after data processing and analysis.

Results

The ECC prevalence was 49.0%, and the mean dmft index was 1.33 (±1.99). Statistically significant risk factors included sweet and sour beverage consumption during the day (OR=4.721; 95% CI (1.876-11.882), p=0.001), as well as a lower family income under 80 thousand Czech crowns a month (approximately 3,300 EUR) (OR=5.250; 95% CI (1.151-23.937), p=0.032). Conversely, the habit of toothbrushing starting from the first erupted tooth was found to be a statistically significant protective factor (OR = 0.109; 95% CI (0.013-0.930), p=0.043).

Conclusion

Despite existing preventive measures, ECC prevalence remains high, indicating the need for more targeted prevention addressing the main risk factors, such as consumption of sweet and sour beverages, and lower family income in families. Conversely, oral hygiene from the eruption of the first tooth, positively related to the prevalence of ECC, should be promoted.

Statistics

The data were processed using the software IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp. Fisher’s exact test was used to evaluate risk factors; p-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

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