Browsing by Author "Sabbah, Wael"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Open Access
    Editorial: Country Profile of the Epidemiology and Clinical Management of Early Childhood Caries.
    (frontiers in public health, 2020-04-30) Folayan, Morenike Oluwatoyin; El Tantawi, Maha; Ramos-Gomez, Francisco; Sabbah, Wael
    Early childhood caries (ECC) is the presence of decayed (cavitated and non-cavitated), filled and missing teeth due to caries, affecting the primary dentition in children less than 72 months old (1). It is the most common non-communicable disease in children (2) and a global endemic problem with those socially disadvantaged (ethnic minorities, immigrants, those of low socioeconomic status or from resource-limited settings) being most affected. The negative impact of ECC on the quality of life, growth, social development, and neurodevelopment of affected children makes it ethically imperative that public epidemiological and clinical management of ECC improves (3). Whether treated or not, ECC is a high-risk factor for caries in the first permanent molar, as highlighted by Songur et al. in this topical issue. Four other manuscripts in this special issue emphasize the urgency of addressing the endemic ECC problem. Musinguzi et al. highlighted that the prevalence of ECC in rural Uganda was 48.6% in 3–5-year-olds, and Castillo et al. showed it was as high as 76.2% in 3–5-year-olds in Peru. Also, Pierce et al. reported a prevalence of 98% in some parts of Canada, and Amalia et al. reported a prevalence of 100% in South Kalimantan, Indonesia