Title:  Prevalence and progression of early childhood caries in Niš, Serbia

Abstract:  Aim Early childhood caries (ECC) entails the presence of one or more decayed, missing, or filled teeth in children aged up to 71 months. Our aim is to present the prevalence and progression of ECC in Niš, Serbia. Methods The study was performed at the Clinic of Dentistry in Niš, involving 250 children aged 3 to 6 years. The prevalence of caries was presented using the dmf index. Depending on the progression, tooth decay was reported as dI (superficial decay), dII (deep decay), dp (pulpitis), dg (dental gangrene), and dx (chronic apical periodontitis). Results Our results show that in Niš the dmf index was 2.38 in the studied children. Of all the decayed teeth, dI was found in 73.18%, and dII in 22.38% of the children. The complications of tooth decay (pulpitis, gangrene, periodontitis) were not highly prevalent: dp=1.41%; dg=1.01%; and dx=2.02%. Conclusion Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that the prevalence of early childhood caries is relatively high. Therefore, health education for parents has to be intensified, focusing on the significance of preservation of health of the primary teeth all the way to their physiological replacement with the permanent teeth.