EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES PREVALENCE AND PATTERN IN 0-6 YEAR OLD CHILDREN

Dental caries, as a result of a disturbance of the ecological balance on the dental hard tissues caused by plaque microorganisms (1) is one of the most prevalent diseases in children. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of early childhood caries (EEC) in 0-6 year old preschool children. This crossectional study was conducted for a period of six months, among the preschool children in Tirana district. Prior permission was obtained from the parents. Clinical examinations were performed by two examiners trained and calibrated for the dmft index, according to the diagnostic criteria described by the World Health Organization (WHO). The present study was carried out on a total of 217 children in age group of 0-6 years. 102(47%) were males and 115(53%) females. Prevalence of early childhood caries was 49.3%, (107/217). The presence of caries in the primary dentition is the strongest predictor of caries in permanent dentition. Therefore, results of the present study have a number of preventive and management implications. A high caries prevalence and dmft scores call for a concentrated effort to decrease caries prevalence and severity in preschool children.