Dental health status in Latin-American preschool children in Malmö.
Seventy-three 3-6-year-old preschool children from Latin-American countries living in Malmö were examined in order to evaluate their oral health status. The children had on average 3.5 dmf teeth and 4.9 dmf surfaces. Forty-one per cent were caries-free. Oral hygiene was satisfactory in 25% of the children. Regarding dietary habits, 41% of the children had more than two unsuitable intakes per day. Night-time use of a nursing bottle with sugar-containing beverage was reported for 30%. The mean dmfs values differed significantly between children with and without S. mutans and lactobacilli in their saliva. Oral health status deviated markedly from the total group of 3-6-year-olds in Malmö, which might be explained by differences in cultural background and the ability to speak and understand Swedish. In conclusion, the Latin-American preschool children and their families should be regarded as a risk group for caries and gingivitis and consequently be subjected to special preventive dental care.
Department of Pedodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Lund, Malmö, Sweden.
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D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D004641:Emigration and Immigration; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007843:Latin America / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D009910:Oral Hygiene; D012463:Saliva / Q000382:microbiology; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D013548:Sweden