December 2007

Objective The aim of the study was to assess the influence of determinants on the presence of caries in pre-school children. Basic research design A matched case-control study (1:2) was designed: 55 children (32 males, 23 females) with at least one buccal or lingual caries lesion on one primary maxillary incisor were selected (caries affected=1) and compared to randomly selected controls (no caries=0) paired for age and gender. Several variables concerning oral hygiene habits, use of fluoride supplementation, dietary habits, socio-economic status of the family and lifestyle factors were considered as risk predictors for early childhood caries (ECC). A conditional logistic regression model was used to perform matched case-control analysis. Results Bottle feeding at night (OR=1.90; 95%CI=1.03-3.50) and socio-economic level (OR=1.69; 95%CI=1.01-2.81) were positively associated with case status. Conclusions We conclude that ECC seemed to be associated with bottle feeding at night and a low socio-economic level. Key words: Case-control study, childhood caries, socio-economical levels, epidemiology.