Social and biological factors contributing to caries of the maxillary anterior teeth.
Caries prevalence among 3- to 4-year-old Head Start children and psychosocial information from their parents were obtained. The prevalence of maxillary anterior caries in the 369 children was 16%, with the most severely affected tooth surfaces being the mesial surfaces of the central incisors. Approximately 90% of parents whose children were found to have maxillary anterior caries knew that allowing their child to take a bottle to bed would harm the child's teeth. Significant differences were found in mutans streptococci levels between children with and without the anterior caries pattern. Although 86% of children with anterior caries were reported to have taken a bottle to bed, 69% of those children who did not have anterior caries also were reported to have taken a bottle to bed. Of the children with maxillary anterior caries, 87% had posterior caries, suggesting that anterior caries subsequently may contribute to an increased caries risk in other teeth.
O'Sullivan
D M
DM
Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington.
Tinanoff
N
N
D001903:Bottle Feeding / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003237:Connecticut / Q000453:epidemiology; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor; D008437:Maxilla; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013295:Streptococcus mutans / Q000302:isolation & purification; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires