Caries patterns and their relationship to infant feeding and socio-economic status in 2-4-year-old Chinese children

Aims: To describe the prevalence, severity and patterns of caries in 2-4-ye ar-old children and to evaluate the association between caries experience o f the children and their feeding patterns and socio-economic background in terms of mothers' education and family income. Design: Cross-sectional surv ey. Setting: Suburban area of Hanchuan in Hubei province, China. Participan ts: A sample of 426 children (250 boys and 176 girls). Methods: Dental exam inations were undertaken in kindergartens using World Health Organization d iagnostic criteria for dental caries. Mothers completed a short questionnai re. Outcome measures: Prevalence of caries; rampant caries; caries in incis ors; caries in incisors and/or canines and molars; mean number of decayed, missing and filled teeth/surfaces (dmft/s). Results: 36% of the children ha d caries, 7% had rampant caries. The more extensive pattern of caries invol ving primary molars as well as incisors and/or canines was seen in 12% of c hildren. Children who had been wholly bottle-fed had five times the risk of having rampant caries compared to children who were breast-fed. Conclusion s: The results indicated that infant feeding practice might be a key risk f actor for the development of caries at an early age in this country as else where.