EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES AND ORAL-SYSTEMIC HEALTH LINKS IN INFANTS AND TODDLERS

Abstract

Events occurring during pregnancy and early infancy have not been properly investigated for their influence on potential oral-systemic and maternal-child health associations especially pertaining to tooth eruption and early childhood caries. This study (nested within the GUSTO birth cohort) was aimed at exploring pre-, peri- and post-natal determinants for early/delayed eruption timing of the first tooth (ETFT), teething problems (TPs) and early childhood caries (ECC) among infants/toddlers. The mean ETFT was 8.5 (+2.6) months and nearly 70% of the children had teething problems within the first 18 months of life. The ECC rate was 18% among 2-year-old children. Preliminary results indicated significant links between the three outcome variables and maternal long-term illnesses, prenatal food consumption and child¿s health (p<0.05). In conclusion, this study was able to identify pertinent time-effect factors that may be used for early clinical intervention at different stages.