The Assessment of Early Server Childhood Caries Status in Abandoned Institutionalized Children

Oana Elena Stoica, Daniela Esian, Anamaria Bud, Alexandra Mihaela Stoica, Liana Beresescu and Cristina Ioana Bica
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Oana Elena Stoica: Department of Pedodontics, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 540139 Târgu Mureș, Romania
Daniela Esian: Department of Pedodontics, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 540139 Târgu Mureș, Romania
Anamaria Bud: Department of Pedodontics, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 540139 Târgu Mureș, Romania
Alexandra Mihaela Stoica: Department of Odontology and Oral Pathology, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 540139 Târgu Mureș, Romania
Liana Beresescu: Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 540139 Târgu Mureș, Romania
Cristina Ioana Bica: Department of Pedodontics, George Emil Palade University of Medicine, Pharmacy, Science, and Technology of Târgu Mureș, 540139 Târgu Mureș, Romania

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 14, 1-10

Abstract: Oral health is a critical indicator of children’s quality of life, which at this early age, depends exclusively on the attention, involvement, and guidance of parents or caregivers. Assessing carious damage and measuring the prevalence of early severe tooth decay in temporary teeth in children is obtained by calculating the dmft index, giving the sum of an individual’s decayed, missing, and filled teeth. The aim of our study was to conduct a clinical examination of the oral status of institutionalized children from Romania. We selected and included in the study 144 children, both boys and girls in equal number, with ages of five or six years old, from which 110 were eligible for the study and met the inclusion criteria. Of all children, 20.90% were five years old girls, 27.27% five years old boys, 26.36% six years old girls, and 25.46% six years old boys. Of all, 10,45% had more than three incisors presenting decays, equally affected by gender. Of the boys’ group, 20% of age six had more de two canines affected, and 26.7% of five years old girls had more than three affected canines. Of the five years boys’ group, 24.3% had more than three affected temporary molars, 44.9% of six years boys had more than five. Of the five years old girls, 33.3% had more than four temporary molars affected and, 56.6% of the six years old girls’ group had more than five molars presenting carious lesions. The dental status and dmft values were similar for five years old and six years old children and similar boys and girls. Due to the vulnerability of young children that consists not only in their inability to identify, express, and address their own needs but also the lack of parental support, lack of an optimal diet for age, and proper hygiene, they reach adolescence with an impaired dental status, inappropriate for their age.

Keywords: severe childhood caries; institutionalized children; dmft index (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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