Dental Health Status and Affecting Factors of Preschool Children: A Pilot Study

Introduction: Dental caries is an important public health problem in Turkey as in many countries. The incidence of dental caries is also high in preschool children. The aim of this study is to discuss the dental caries experiences of kindergarten students in Bursa and the factors affecting their level of dental caries. Materials and Methods: A stratified random sample was composed from students in a private kindergarten in Bursa in 2021. Intraoral examinations in children were performed using disposable mirrors and a head lamp. The validated questionnaire, which was prepared to examine the possible factors affecting the level of dental caries, was filled by the parents(s) of the children. Dental caries experience was recorded with the dmft index. Multivariate ANOVA was used to study the relationship between dental caries experience and past oral health-related behaviors. Results: One hundred and fifty children (49% male) with a mean age of 4.7 +/- 0.5 years were evaluated. The mean decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) score of the evaluated children was 5.3 +/- 0.7. The draft score of 35% of the children was found to be 0.87% of decayed teeth are untreated. A significant relationship was found between dental caries experience and oral health-related habits, parents' education level and their knowledge levels on dental health. However, the relationship between family income and dental caries experience is insignificant. Conclusion: The incidence of early childhood caries was high in this study. Dental caries experiences are linked to oral health behaviors and parental education level and dental knowledge level.