Severe early childhood caries and general health in a group of Sudanese preschool children

Abstract EN

Back ground : dental health problems as a sequence of ECC especially its severe form (S-ECC) rang from local pain, infections, difficulty in chewing leads to general health problemsas malnutrition, gastrointestinal disorders and poor child growth or development.

debilitating condition can not only affect the children but also their families and the communities in which they live.

methods : the study sample consisted of 1000 Sudanese children aged 3-6 years, including 100 children having complete blood count records.

anthropometric measurements were taken for every child following WHO methodology and criteria.

Hb level was recorded for children who already had CBC analysis for medical reasons.

results : there was a significant difference between caries free and S-ECC regarding all BMI categories except normal weight children.

although, there was insignificant difference between both caries groups considering Hb level.

conclusions : although there was insignificant correlation between caries and Hb level, a weak negative correlation was found between caries and BMI.

Consequently, proper management of S- ECC is critical for child general health and development.