Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the relation
between dental caries and oral hygiene habits in preschool children.
Methods: Study subjects were recruited from nine registered day care
centers in Taichung city located in central Taiwan. All subjects complete
oral health examination and questionnaire survey. The response rate was
63%. Results: In total, 480 preschool children (age 3-6 yrs) participated
in this study. The mean prevalence and the average deft index were 70%
and 4.27 respectively. Both of them were increased with ages of the
subjects. The mean ages of caries-free subjects to begin tooth-brushing
were significant lower than those of caries subjects. If the tooth-brushing
habit started earlier or the parents helped in brush their children’s teeth
more frequently, the mean deft index would be lower. The timing and
frequency of tooth-brushing and rinsing mouth after meal was associated
with dental caries. Conclusions: The prevalence and deft index of dental
caries in preschool children were higher than those of the World Health
Organization’s goal for 2010. It was important to prevent dental caries of
preschool children by good oral hygiene habits and behaviors. In
addition, parents were responsible to take care of their children’s oral
health.
