Early childhood caries

Early childhood caries (ECC), formerly known as nursing bottle caries, baby bottle tooth decay, night bottle mouth and night bottle caries, is a disease that affects teeth in children aged between birth and 71 months. ECC is characterized by the presence of 1 or more decayed (noncavitated or cavitated lesions), missing (due to caries), or filled tooth surfaces in any primary tooth. ECC has been shown to be a very common, transmissible bacterial infection, usually passed from the primary caregiver to the child. The main bacteria responsible for dental caries are Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacillus. There is also evidence that supports that those who are in lower socioeconomic populations are at greater risk of developing ECC. Early childhood caries (ECC) is a multi-factorial disease, referring to various risk factors that inter-relate to increase risk of developing the disease. These risk factors include but not limits to, cariogenic bacteria, diet practices and socioeconomic factors. Normally after 6 months, deciduous teeth begin to erupt means, they are susceptible to tooth decay or dental caries. In some unfortunate cases, infants and young children have experienced severe tooth decay called ECC. This can result in the child experiencing severe pain, extensive dental restorations or extractions. The good news is that ECC is preventable, however, still remains a large burden particularly towards health care expenditure. The primary cariogenic bacteria involved in ECC are S. mutans and Lactobacillus. The oral flora in an infant oral cavity is not colonised with normal oral flora until the eruption of the primary dentition at approximately 6 to 30 months of age. The colonisation of S. Mutans from mother to infant is well documented. Over time this combination of food debris and bacteria form a biofilm on the tooth surface called plaque. In plaque, the cariogenic microorganisms are those that produce lactic acid as a by-product from fermentable carbohydrates. Examples of these fermentable carbohydrates include fructose, sucrose and glucose.