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Dental health and oral mutans streptococci in 2–4‐year‐old Estonian children
Author(s) -
OLAK JANA,
MÄNDAR REET,
KARJALAINEN SARA,
SÖDERLING EVA,
SAAG MARE
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
international journal of paediatric dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.183
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1365-263X
pISSN - 0960-7439
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-263x.2006.00788.x
Subject(s) - medicine , estonian , dentistry , oral health , dental plaque , early childhood caries , dental health , streptococcus mutans , dental decay , pediatrics , philosophy , linguistics , biology , bacteria , genetics
Objective. The aim of this study was to assess the dental health and presence of mutans streptococci (MS) in 2–4‐year‐old Estonian children. Methods. The dental health of 472 2–4‐year‐old children was examined using a mirror and a penlight in 14 daycare centres representing seven communities around Estonia. The mean (± SD) age of the children was 41.4 ± 4.1 months ( n = 222). Plaque samples of 222 children were employed to determine the presence of MS using the Dentocult® SM Strip mutans test. Results. Caries was diagnosed in 42% of the children, and the average (± SD) dmft index was 1.6 ± 2.5, ranging from 1.1 ± 1.2 in Tartu to 2.4 ± 3.1 in Võru. The proportion of caries‐free children decreased from 82% in the younger to 63% in the older group ( P = 0.001). Among the tested subjects, 58% were colonized with MS, and those with caries were colonized more often than children with no visible caries (80% and 51%, respectively; P = 0.001). Conclusions. The prevalence of dental caries in Estonian 2–4‐year‐olds is higher than in the Nordic countries, but similar to other Baltic nations. Colonization by MS was associated with dental caries.