Prolonged nursing-habit caries index

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Dentistry
• Dental Public Health
• Cariology

Background:

• Prolonged nursing-habit caries (PNHC) is a significant concern in primary dentition.
• Accurate assessment tools are crucial for monitoring and managing PNHC.
• Existing indices may not fully capture the nuances of PNHC in early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability and validity of a novel index for assessing PNHC.
• To determine the suitability of the PNHC index for use in research settings.
• To establish a standardized method for PNHC severity grading in primary teeth.

Main Methods:

• The study involved 2389 nursery-school children aged 12-53 months.
• Maxillary primary incisors were examined for PNHC severity (0-5 scale).
• Intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability were assessed using correlation coefficients (0.97 for both).
• Validity was determined by correlating the PNHC index with the deft index (correlation coefficient 0.68).

Main Results:

• High intra-examiner and inter-examiner reliability were demonstrated (r=0.97, p<0.01).
• The PNHC index showed a significant positive correlation with the deft index (r=0.68, p<0.01), indicating good validity.
• The index effectively graded PNHC severity in the studied population.

Conclusions:

• The developed PNHC index is a reliable and valid tool for assessing prolonged nursing-habit caries in primary dentition.
• This index can be confidently utilized in future epidemiological studies and clinical research.
• The findings support the use of the PNHC index for standardized PNHC assessment in young children.