Journal Article

Early Childhood Caries, Mouth Pain, and Nutritional Threats in Vietnam

Barkan, Howard, Ngo, Kimberly M., Sokal-Gutierrez, Karen, Hoang, Hung T., Khanh, Linh Ngo, Ivey, Susan L., Thai, Nam, Vuong, Ivy

2015

Overview

Objectives. We investigated the relationships among early childhood caries (ECC), mouth pain, and nutritional status in children aged 1 to 6 years in Southern and Central Vietnam. Methods. A total of 593 parent–child pairs were recruited from 5 kindergartens or preschools in Ho-Chi Minh City and Da Nang. Parents completed surveys about dietary habits, oral health practices, and children’s mouth pain experience; children received anthropometric assessment and dental examinations. Results. There was a high prevalence of dental caries (74.4%), mostly untreated, and mouth pain (47.1%). Moderate correlations were found between parents’ and children’s consumption of soda (ρ = 0.361; P < .001) and salty snacks (ρ = 0.292; P < .001). Severity of ECC was associated with decreased weight- and body mass index-for-age z-scores. Presence of pulp-involved caries was associated with strikingly lower height-for-age (mean difference = 0.66; P = .001), weight-for-age (mean difference = 1.17; P < .001), and body mass index-for-age (mean difference = 1.18; P < .001) z-scores. Mouth pain was associated with lower body mass index-for-age z-scores (mean difference = 0.29; P = .013). Conclusions. ECC might negatively affect children’s nutritional status, which might be mediated by the depth of decay, chronic inflammation, and mouth pain. Family-based and prevention-oriented nutrition and oral health programs are needed and should start during pregnancy and infancy.

• Publisher: American Public Health Association
• Subject: Age / Age differences / Body height / Body Mass Index / Body weight / Carbonated beverages / Caries / Child / Child and Adolescent Health / Child Nutrition Disorders - epidemiology / Child, Preschool / Childhood / Children / Children & youth / Childrens health / Chronic illnesses / Chronic pain / Cross-Sectional Studies / Data collection / Day care centers / Dental caries / Dental Caries - epidemiology / Dental/Oral Health / Dentists / Developing countries / DMF Index / Early childhood education / Epidemiology / Families & family life / Feeding Behavior / Female / Global Health / Habits / Health behavior / Health surveys / Human body / Humans / Indexes / Infancy / Infant / Inflammation / Kindergarten / LDCs / Lower limbs / Male / Malnutrition / Mouth / Nutrition / Nutritional Status / Obesity / Obesity/Overweight/Underweight / Onsite / Oral hygiene / Overweight / Pain / Parent-child relations / Parents & parenting / Pharmacy / Pregnancy / Preschool children / Prevention / Prevention programs / Public health / Quality of life / RESEARCH AND PRACTICE / Review boards / Risk Factors / Snacks / Studies / Teeth / Thinness - epidemiology / Toothache - epidemiology / Vietnam - epidemiology