Early childhood caries among premature children enrolled in WIC: A retrospective case - Controlled study

Purpose: To investigate the association between premature birth and Early Childhood Caries (ECC) experience, while secondarily evaluating factors that may influence development of caries. Methods: Data collected from patients enrolled at the University of Iowa's Infant Oral Health Program consisted of prenatal history, child's demographics, neonatal history, oral hygiene, dietary habits, and clinical findings (visible plaque, enamel defects, and caries). Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were utilized (alpha=0.05). Results: Four hundred and ninety eight randomly matched premature and full-term subjects were included (mean age=21 months [range: 6-71 months]; 51.4% males and 38.9% African Americans). Bivariate analysis revealed no significant differences existed regarding cavitated and non-cavitated caries experience between full-term and premature subjects. Additionally, compared to their counterparts, premature subjects were more likely to eat cariogenic snacks between meals (P=0.028), drink cariogenic beverages >2 times per day (P=0.027), not have their teeth brushed daily (P<0.001), and less likely to have seen a dentist (P=0.04). Logistic regression analysis showed that showed number of teeth present (OR=1.24, 95% CI: 1.10-1.39 ; P<0.001) and visible plaque on maxillary incisors (OR=5.69, 95% CI: 2.22-14.55; p<0.001) to be significantly associated with ECC in premature subjects. Conclusions: While there was no evidence that prematurity was associated with ECC, premature subjects had cariogenic dietary behaviors and high-risk oral hygiene behaviors.