Prevalence of early childhood caries among preschool children of low socioeconomic status in Bangalore city, India

AIM: To assess the prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) among preschool children of low socio- economic status in Bangalore city, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 566, 24–59 months old children attending various Anganwadi centers in Bangalore city, India, selected via cluster sampling. Caries experience was recorded using deft index (Greubbell, 1944). t Test, ANOVA, and Chi-square tests were used to find significant differences. P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. RESULTS: Prevalence of Early Childhood Caries (ECC) was 37.3% with a mean deft of 1.90 ± 3.38 ranging from 0 to 17 teeth. Out of 211 children with ECC, 94.3% had severe Early Childhood Caries (s-ECC) with a mean deft score of 5.35 ± 3.77. All of the deft was due to untreated caries. Mean caries experience of 36–47 months age group was significantly higher than other groups (P = 0.024). CONCLUSIONS: The present study showed a 37.3% prevalence of ECC. There is a need for preventive and curative oral health programs in this section of the society.