1.Analysis of prevalence of dental caries and associated factors among preschool children with disabilities in Bengbu
LI Ping, ZOU Xiaosong, TIAN Ruixue, ZHANG Jiaye, ZHUO Feng, JIANG Wenrui, LU Xiaomiao
Chinese Journal of School Health 2024;45(6):864-867
Objective:
To understand the oral health status and associated factors of preschool children with disabilities in Bengbu City, so as to provide evidence for preventing dental caries in children with disabilities.
Methods:
From September 2021 to March 2022, a total of 405 preschool children with disabilities from two rehabilitation institutions in Bengbu were randomly selected for oral health examination, questionnaire survey and physical examination. The caries prevalence rate among disabled children was analyzed. After grouping based on childrens BMI, the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries among children was explored. Multivariate binary Logistic regression analysis was employed to investigate the factors associated with dental caries occurrence in children.
Results:
The prevalence of dental caries in preschool children with disabilities was 74.07%, with rates of 71.01% for boys and 77.27% for girls. There was a significant difference in caries prevalence between boys and girls aged 5(66.67%,88.24%) (χ2=7.53, P<0.05). There were significant differences in the dmft index among different BMI groups (underweight: 240, normal weight: 606, overweight:30,obese:60,H=35.66,P<0.05). BMI was negatively correlated with dmft(r=-0.50,P<0.01). Frequent tooth brushing (2-3 times daily), the use of fluoride toothpaste, limited intake of sugary foods (< 2 times/d) in the past six months, and exclusively breastfeeding within first six months were negatively correlated with the occurrence of dental caries in disabled children (OR=0.09,0.41,0.24, P<0.05). Sleep forward to eat,parental education level of junior high school or lower, and parental education of vocational school or high school were positively correlated with dental caries (OR=3.18,5.95,3.99,66.95,7.75,P<0.05).
Conclusions
The caries prevalence rate of disabled children in Bengbu City is high and is influenced by multiple factors. It is time to strengthen the oral health training for parents and teachers in educational institutions, pay attention to childrens oral health care, and help disabled children improve their quality of life.