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Prevalence and treatment costs of infant caries in Northern California
F J Ramos-Gomez1, G F Huang, C M Masouredis
1Department of Growth and Development, School of Dentistry, University of California San Francisco, USA.
Insights
Infant caries prevalence in low-income children varies by diagnostic criteria. Treatment costs escalate with severity, and many families forgo care due to financial barriers, highlighting a significant public health issue.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Dentistry
- Public Health
Background:
- Infant caries affects low-socioeconomic-status (SES) children disproportionately.
- Understanding prevalence and treatment costs is crucial for intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine infant caries prevalence in low-SES children.
- To analyze the treatment costs associated with infant caries.
- To identify barriers to treatment adherence.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective evaluation of 357 children (8 months to 7 years) treated in 1992.
- Analysis of prevalence based on varying diagnostic criteria for infant caries.
- Assessment of treatment costs correlated with caries severity (dmft).
Main Results:
- Prevalence varied from 27% to 36% depending on diagnostic criteria.
- Higher prevalence observed in boys (37%) and 3-4 year olds (43%).
- Treatment costs ranged from $408 to $1725 based on dmft, with cost being a barrier to care.
Conclusions:
- Infant caries prevalence is influenced by diagnostic standards.
- Rehabilitation costs increase with the extent of primary dentition decay.
- Financial constraints significantly impede low-income families' access to essential dental treatment.
Abstract:
To determine the prevalence of infant caries in low-socioeconomic-status children and to analyze the costs of their treatment, we retrospectively evaluated 357 children, ages eight months to seven years, who were treated during 1992 at a university-associated medical center in Northern California. Infant caries was diagnosed by several different standards, and prevalence varied according to the diagnostic criteria employed: 27 percent by the presence of any labiolingual lesion on the maxillary incisors; 32 percent by the presence of at least two carious maxillary incisors; 27 percent by the presence of at least three carious maxillary incisors; and 36 percent by a dmft > or = 5. Prevalence was higher among boys than girls (37 percent versus 27 percent), and highest in the group ages 3-4 years (43 percent). The cost of dental treatment increased with deft and ranged from $408 for deft 2-5 to $1725 for deft 16-20. Many patients failed to comply with recommended treatment for reasons of cost. Our results showed that (1) the prevalence of infant caries varies depending upon the clinical criteria used for diagnosis; (2) the cost of rehabilitating primary dentition increases in proportion to the number of teeth involved; and (3) low-income patients avoid treatment of infant caries for a variety of reasons related to the cost involved.