Tooth Eruption and Early Childhood Caries – A Multi-site Longitudinal Study

Abstract

Objectives: This study assessed the relationship between the number of teeth present at 12 months and dmfs at 30 and 48 months. Methods: Data are from a longitudinal, multi-site study with clinical dental examinations conducted at 12, 30 and 48 months of age. Spearman correlation, and chi-square tests assessed relationships between teeth present at 12 months and decayed, missing or filled surfaces (dmfs) at 30 (n=1,062) and 48 months (n=985). Results: Spearman correlations were weak but significant for both 30- and 48-month time points (R= 0.066; p=0.032, R= 0.093; p=0.004, respectively). Mantel-Haenszel chi-square analyses of categories of teeth present at 12 months (0, 1–4, 5–8, and 9+) and categories of dmfs at 30 and 48 months (0, 1–2, 3–5, 6–15 and 16+), revealed non-significant (p=0.326) relationship with 30-month dmfs, but a significant (p=0.013) relationship with 48-month dmfs. Conclusion: Results suggest that early tooth eruption is weakly associated with occurrence of early childhood caries.