Association Between Early Childhood Caries and Systemic Inflammatory Profiles: A Retrospective Analysis of Children...

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a chronic inflammatory condition that may impose a systemic burden in pediatric patients. This study aimed to evaluate the association between dental caries severity, classified by dmft (decayed, missing, and filled teeth for primary dentition) scores, and preoperative systemic inflammatory markers derived from routine complete blood counts (CBC).

This retrospective study included 159 children aged 36-71 months. Participants were categorized into three groups based on dmft scores: low (0-3), medium (4-8), and high (≥9). Hematological parameters and inflammatory indices, including neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with post hoc comparisons.

Significant differences were observed among dmft groups for neutrophil and lymphocyte percentages (p = 0.026 and p = 0.027) and lymphocyte count (p = 0.020). The medium severity group demonstrated higher neutrophil levels and lower lymphocyte values compared to the high severity group (p < 0.05). Although overall group differences for NLR and SII were not statistically significant (p > 0.05), both markers were significantly higher in the medium group than in the high group (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in hemoglobin, RDW, or platelet parameters.

A non-linear trend was observed, with relatively elevated inflammatory markers in the moderate dmft group. These findings suggest that systemic inflammation in ECC is more closely related to disease characteristics than to caries burden alone. CBC-derived parameters may provide supportive but limited value for assessing systemic inflammatory status in pediatric dental patients.