2020 Volume 58 Issue 1 Pages 1-8
The aim of this study was to investigate new preschool patients with the chief complaint of dental caries at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry of Hiroshima University Hospital during fiscal 2018. A total of 118 patients (61 males, 57 females) were treated at our hospital. The age of the patients ranged from 1 to 6 years old, with the largest percentage being 5 years old (27.1%). The rate of dental caries was higher in primary molars and lower in lower incisors. Twelve patients (10.2%) had C4 or missing teeth.
We classified patients with dental cavities, and found that class III was the largest group. We created the class III category of “severe”, to which 72 patients were classified (61.0%). More than half of the patients had many dental caries, including C3 in many areas, C4, or missing teeth.
The patients who brushed their teeth did so at night. There was a significant difference in severity of dental cavities based on whether the patients flossed. We investigated their eating habits and preferred foods or drinks to determine which factors increase the risk of dental caries.
