Iron Deficiency in Young Children: A Risk Marker for Early Childhood Caries

Aim: 1. Evaluate the coexistence of iron deficiency and early childhood caries. 2. Evaluate whether iron deficiency can be considered as a risk marker for early childhood caries. 3. Estimate the incidence of iron deficiency in children with early childhood caries. 4. To evaluate and compare the iron status of children with and without severe early childhood caries. Materials and methods: Sixty children of age 2 to 6 years in whom blood investigations are advised by pediatricians are selected for the study and are divided into early childhood caries (ECC) and control groups according to the def index. After obtaining the informed consent from parent, blood investigations are carried out in these children for the estimation of iron status. Results: All the values depicting the iron status are found to be decreased in the clinical trial group (ECC group) and they are statistically significant. Conclusion: Iron deficiency is observed definitely in children having ECC. How to cite this article: Koppal PI, Sakri MR, Akkareddy B, Hinduja DM, Gangolli RA, Patil BC. Iron Deficiency in Young Children: A Risk Marker for Early Childhood Caries. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2013;6(1):1-6.