Early childhood caries: overview and recent findings

Resident’s Name: Derek Banks Date: October 17, 2008
Article title: Early childhood caries: overview and recent findings
Author(s): N Tinanoff, D O’Sullivan
Journal: AAPD Journal
Volume (number): 19:1
Month, Year: 1997
Major topic: Cariology
Minor topic(s): ECC
Type of Article: Literature review
Main Purpose: Analyze current (in 1997) data concerning ECC
Overview of method of research: Authors read literature on ECC and summed it all up in this article.
Findings: ECC used to be called baby bottle caries, but the term was changed, as etiology may not always involve a baby bottle. Early infection with strep mutans and cariogenic diet are associated with ECC. Some controversy in this article about age of infection with strep mutans (one study says between 19 and 31 months, and another says as young as 11 months). In one study 86% of children with caries of the maxillary anterior incisors were reported to have taken a bottle to bed, but 69% of those who did not have maxillary anterior caries also reportedly took a bottle to bed. In another study, ECC was linked to deficits in overall health, citing that children with ECC weigh less than 80% of their ideal weight, putting them in the lowest 10th percentile for weight. Treatment for ECC is usually very costly, and studies have shown that preventative measures e.g. parental counseling and home fluoride regimens lead to mixed results due to poor parental compliance. Maternal chlorhexadine/chlorhexadine and fluoride regimens showed some promise in reducing the rate of ECC.
Key points/Summary: “Early childhood caries is of epidemic proportions in some U.S. minority populations and developing countries, yet a review of the literature reveals numerous conflicting reports and unanswered questions regarding the etiology and prevention of the disease.
Assessment of article: Okay review for the time it was published, but current AAPD guidelines and more recent studies provide much of the information that this study lacks.