Caries Experience among Children with History of Neonatal Stunting.

objectiveChildren with neonatal growth retardation (defined as birth length <48cm) are at risk for chronic malnutrition that begins before birth and continues into infancy. Stunting can adversely affect a child's growth and development, including oral health itself, and especially the experience of dental caries. This study analyzed the dental caries experience in children with neonatal growth retardation. MATERIALS: AND

methodsThis was a baseline and 1-year follow-up analysis of a cohort of stunted children in a potential stunting site in Bandung City. Annual data collection included interviews with mothers and dental and anthropometric examinations of children. Descriptive analysis was performed in SPSS. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were recorded on paper forms and manually entered into a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet for later analysis using IBM SPSS (version 23.0). After assessment, descriptive statistics was generated prior to bivariate analysis.

resultsFifty-five children met the inclusion criteria and participated in the 1-year study. Decay, missing, filling teeth (Dmft) was in the intermediate category (4.13) at baseline and fell into the high category (5.16) at 1-year follow-up, although the increase in caries remained in the low category.

conclusionDysplastic children with a history of neonatal developmental delay experience dental caries beginning in the first year of life and may become more severe later in life.