Dental caries in a cohort of very young American Indian children |
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| Authors: | John J. Warren DDS MS Katherine W. O. Kramer PhD Kathy Phipps DrPH Delores Starr BS RDH Deborah V. Dawson PhD ScM Teresa Marshall PhD David Drake MS PhD |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Preventive & Community Dentistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA;2. Dows Institute for Dental Research, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA;3. Oral Health Surveillance Consultant, Morro Bay, CA, USA;4. Indian Health Service, Pine Ridge, SD, USA |
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| Abstract: | Objectives: This paper reports the prevalence and severity of caries in a group of 16‐month‐old American Indian children. Methods: The study is an ongoing longitudinal study of risk factors for caries in children from a Northern Plains Tribal community. Children were examined for caries and risk factor data collected at approximately 1, 4, 8, 12, and 16 months of age. Surface‐specific caries data were collected and the presence of precavitated “white spot” lesions was recorded at the subject level. Results: The mean age was 15.4 months for the sample of 232 children. Caries prevalence was 31.9 percent, while an additional 29.3 percent had white spot lesions only. Mean dmfs was 1.57, and ranged from 0 to 44 surfaces. Nearly 3 percent of all erupted tooth surfaces were affected and maxillary central incisors had the highest prevalence of caries (22 percent). Conclusions: Among the very youngest children, dental caries prevalence was very high among these American Indian children. |
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| Keywords: | dental caries children minority health |
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