title: Community-based assessment and intervention for early childhood caries in rural El Salvador.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives were to assess early childhood caries (ECC) in rural areas of El Salvador and to investigate the changes in caries and mouth pain in the presence of community-based interventions.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was a retrospective analysis of de-identified and anonymous data obtained from baseline and four annual follow-up visits that focused on the preventive oral health intervention and nutrition in a convenience sample of children 0-6 years of age. The decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) index for primary teeth was used as the survey tool. Caries was defined as a cavitated lesion. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the prevalence of ECC in the sample in relation to age and dmft score. Linear mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) and generalised linear mixed effects models were used to compare the pre-intervention and post-intervention outcomes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of caries was 58%. Incorporation of a community oral health education and fluoride supplementation programme contributed to significant reductions in caries experience (from 74% to 61%) and mouth pain (from 58% to 39%), in children 3-6 years of age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ECC is a common public health problem in rural El Salvador. In an established community-based maternal-child health programme in El Salvador, there appears to be an association between the incorporation of preventive oral health intervention and improvement in children's oral health and quality of life over time.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Darya
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dabiri
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kapila
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eckert
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sokal-Gutierrez
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003149:Community Dentistry / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004245:DMF Index; D003729:Dental Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004544:El Salvador / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005460:Fluorides, Topical / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014099:Toothbrushing
chemical_list: D005460:Fluorides, Topical
keywords: Mouth pain; community-based intervention; early childhood caries