Early childhood caries and associated determinants: a cross‐sectional study on Italian preschool children

Objectives This study evaluates the influence of several determinants on the presence of early childhood caries ( ECC ) in preschool children living in northern S ardinia, I taly. These determinants include the educational level and occupational status of the parents as a proxy for the socioeconomical level ( SES ) and behavioral factors (dietary and oral hygiene). Methods An observational cross‐sectional study was designed with a dental examination and a standardized questionnaire. Five hundred forty‐four subjects (260 girls and 284 boys) were enrolled and categorized into two age groups: 359 children were aged 18‐47 months and 185 children were aged 48‐60 months. Results The total caries prevalence was 15.99%. Caries risk increased with lower parents' educational level ( P  = 0.01), increased number of siblings ( P  < 0.01), the use of bottle feeding ( P  = 0.02), and the use of a sweetened baby's pacifier at night ( P  = 0.01). In robust multivariate analysis, a high parental educational level played a protective role on the presence of caries lesion [odds ratio ( OR ) = 0.51, 95% confidence interval ( CI ) 0.34‐0.78]; the mother's being employed had a positive statistically significant association with the child having decayed, missing, filled tooth surfaces = 0 ( OR  = 0.64, 95% CI 0.23‐0.97). The presence of more than one sibling in the family was associated with caries ( OR  = 1.70, 95% CI 1.20‐2.40). Conclusion ECC prevalence evaluated was similar to other western countries, and SES and behavioral habits influence the development of ECC .