Caries prevalence of primary teeth and related factors in urban and rural young children of Guangzhou

Objective To compare the prevalence of caries in deciduous teeth of children from urban and suburban areas of Guangzhou and analyse the related factors. Methods Five nursery schools in Dongshan District of Guangzhou and 7 nursery schools in Conghua were chosesn randomly in 2005. Dental caries status, developmental defect of enamel (DDE) and Visible Plaque Index (VPI) of 3-4-year-old children were recorded. Data of caries related information were collected by structured questionnaire completed by their parents. Results The dmft and prevalence of caries of children in Guangzhou and Conghua were significantly different (1.01 v.s. 3.70 and 29.4% v.s. 68.0% respectively, P 0.01). The results of multiple regression found 10 factors related to the dmft level of the children investigated. Comparison between the two groups showed that 5 in the 10 factors were significantly different, including consuming sweet at night, using toothpaste after 3 years old, mothers’ age, parents’ oral health attitude and income. Conclusion The results of this cross-section survey primarily suggests that the reasons related to the high dmft level of the children in suburban areas of Guangzhou are consuming sweet at night, using toothpaste after 3 years old, mothers’ age being younger, parents’ oral health attitude being not active and lower income.