Early Childhood Caries: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Prevention

TAbLe 3 | Classification of ECC and Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) 
(
1
, 
69
).
Age (months) early childhood 
caries
Severe early childhood caries
<12
1 or more dmfs 
surfaces
1 or more smooth dmf surfaces.
12–23
1 or more dmfs 
surfaces
1 or more smooth dmf surfaces.
24–35
1 or more dmfs 
surfaces
1 or more smooth dmf surfaces.
36–47
1 or more dmfs 
surfaces
1 or more cavitated, filled, or missing (due to 
caries) smooth surfaces in primary maxillary 
anterior teeth or dmfs score 
>4.
48–59
1 or more dmfs 
surfaces
1 or more cavitated, filled, or missing (due 
to caries) smooth surfaces in primary 
maxillary anterior teeth or dmfs score 
>5.

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5
Anil and Anand
Early Childhood Caries
Frontiers in Pediatrics | www.frontiersin.org
July 2017 | Volume 5 | Article 157
supplements also showed some evidence in controlling the car-
ies in children. However, its effectiveness to prevent ECC is still 
under investigation (
90
, 
91
).
CONCLUSiON
ECC is a chronic, infectious disease affecting young children, 
and constitutes a serious public health problem. It is one of the 
most common preventable diseases and is on the rise world-
wide. ECC is a multifactorial disease consequent to the interac-
tion of cariogenic microorganisms, exposure to carbohydrates, 
inappropriate feeding practices, and a range of social variables. 
It can affect a child’s well-being, learning ability, and quality of 
life. This virulent form of dental caries begins soon after dental 
eruption mainly on the smooth surfaces of the teeth, which 
progress at a rapid state. It has a lasting detrimental impact 
on the dentition. The associated pain from dental caries has a 
negative impact on children’s emotional status, sleep patterns, 
and ability to learn or perform their usual activities. A wide 
range of risk factors are associated with ECC in children from 
underprivileged and low socioeconomic status. Oral health has 
been recognized as an essential component of general health 
and quality of life. Hence both oral disease prevention and 
oral health promotion should be included as an integral part 
of chronic disease prevention and general health promotion 
programs.