ALLERGY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS ARE LINKED TO EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:TO EVALUATE IF ALLERGY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS ARE LINKED TO EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES (ECC) AMONG SINGAPORE TODDLERS. METHODS: IN "GROWING UP IN SINGAPORE TOWARDS HEALTHY OUTCOMES" (GUSTO) - ORAL HEALTH COHORT STUDY, 543 CHILDREN AGED 24 MONTHS(M) WERE EXAMINED FROM THE MAIN STUDY AND ECC WAS SCORED USING MODIFIED ICDAS CRITERIA. MATERNAL AND INFANT FACTORS RELATED TO ALLERGY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS AND DEMOGRAPHY WERE DETERMINED AT FIRST VISIT AND INFANT AGES - 3 WEEKS, 3M, 6M, 9M, 12M, 15M AND 18M USING QUESTIONNAIRES. MULTIVARIATE ANALYSIS MODEL (POISSON REGRESSION) WAS BUILT TO ANALYZE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ECC AND ALLERGY-ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS - ECZEMA, RHINITIS AND WHEEZING WITH NEBULIZER CONTROLLING THE CONFOUNDING FACTORS. RESULTS: THE PREVALENCE RATE OF CARIES WAS 17.7%. THE CHANCE TO HAVE ONE MORE CARIES LESION ARE HIGH AMONG PRESCHOOLERS WHO EVER-HAD ECZEMA [RR(95%CI)-5.97(2.87-12.43], WHEEZING WITH PRESCRIBED NEBULIZER [6.35(1.01-40.08)], BREASTFEEDING AT NIGHT-TIME [3.97