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[Dental caries and early childhood development: a pilot study]
F Loreto Núñez1, B Javier Sanz1, L Gloria Mejía2
1Departamento de Salud Pública, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Talca, Talca, Chile.
Insights
Dental caries severity is linked to impaired early childhood development in Chilean 3-year-olds. Children with higher dental caries scores showed lower psychomotor development, highlighting a significant association.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Developmental Pediatrics
Background:
- Early childhood development is crucial for long-term health outcomes.
- Dental caries is a prevalent issue in young children globally.
- Understanding the interplay between oral health and development is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between dental caries and early childhood development.
- To assess this relationship in 3-year-old children from Talca, Chile.
Main Methods:
- A pilot study involving 39 three-year-olds from Talca, Chile.
- Child development assessed using the Psychomotor Development Index (PDI).
- Dental caries evaluated using decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) and tooth surfaces (DFMT) indexes.
Main Results:
- A significant negative correlation (r = -0.82) was found between caries severity (DMFT) and PDI scores.
- Children with impaired development had higher DMFT values (3.57) compared to normally developing children (1.31).
Conclusions:
- The severity of dental caries is correlated with early childhood development.
- This pilot study suggests a link between poor oral health and developmental delays in young children.
Objective:
To investigate the association between dental caries and early childhood development in 3-year-olds from Talca, Chile.
Method:
A pilot study with a convenience sample of 3-year-olds from Talca (n = 39) who attend public healthcare centers. Child development was measured by the Psychomotor Development Index (PDI), a screening tool used nationally among pre-school children to assess language development, fine motor skills and coordination areas. Dental caries prevalence was evaluated by decayed, missing, filled teeth (DFMT) and decayed, missing, filled tooth surfaces (DFMS) ceo-d and ceo-s indexes. The children were divided into two groups according to the PDIscore: those with a score of 40 or more were considered developmentally normal (n = 32), and those with a score below 40 were considered as having impaired development (n = 7).
Results:
The severity of caries (DMFT) was negatively correlated with PDI (r = -0.82), and children with the lowest TEPSI score had the highest DFMT values. The average DMFT in children with normal development was 1.31, and 3.57 for those with impaired development.
Conclusion:
This pilot study indicates that the severity of dental caries is correlated with early childhood development.
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