Dental health and oral mutans streptococci in 2-4-year-old Estonian children.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the dental health and presence of mutans streptococci (MS) in 2-4-year-old Estonian children. METHODS The dental health of 472 2-4-year-old children was examined using a mirror and a penlight in 14 daycare centres representing seven communities around Estonia. The mean (+/-SD) age of the children was 41.4+/-4.1 months (n=222). Plaque samples of 222 children were employed to determine the presence of MS using the Dentocult SM Strip mutans test. RESULTS Caries was diagnosed in 42% of the children, and the average (+/-SD) dmft index was 1.6+/-2.5, ranging from 1.1+/-1.2 in Tartu to 2.4+/-3.1 in Võru. The proportion of caries-free children decreased from 82% in the younger to 63% in the older group (P=0.001). Among the tested subjects, 58% were colonized with MS, and those with caries were colonized more often than children with no visible caries (80% and 51%, respectively; P=0.001). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of dental caries in Estonian 2-4-year-olds is higher than in the Nordic countries, but similar to other Baltic nations. Colonization by MS was associated with dental caries.

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