Abstract
The purpose of this study was to extract some factors from a 1.5-year-old dental health examination which affect the caries prevalence at 3 years of age in order to make dental health guidance more effective.
The subjects analyzed were 875 children who received a 3-year-old dental health examination at a certain public health center in Hiroshima City from April 1990 to March 1991. The dietary habits, tooth brushing habits and oral conditions at 1.5 years of age were surveyed and their relationships with dental health conditions at 3 years of age were examined.
The results were as follows.
1) The factors associated with caries prevalence in 3-year-olds were ‘Caries prevalence at 1.5 years of age’, ‘Order of birth’, ‘Regularity of snacks’, ‘Presently bottle feeding’, ‘Brushing by mother’ and ‘Drinking sweet beverages’.
2) The importance of giving dental health guidance to mothers before a 1.5-year-old dental health examination is discussed.
