Background: Despite the availability of a variety of preventive and
treatment modalities, caries in the early childhood remains a serious and
prevalent disease worldwide.
The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of early childhood
caries (ECC) among 24 to 71-month old children who attended the Center
for preschool education Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The whole
sample included 297 children of both genders. Caries status of each child
was recorded using the dmft index according to the WHO criteria.
Results: Two hundred ninety-seven children (138 girls and 159 boys)
24 to 71-month old were examined. The overall prevalence of dental caries
was 64.65%. Only 23 (7.74%) children had their teeth restored.
Conclusions: ECC prevalence among 24 to 71-month old children who
attended the Center for pre-school education in Banja Luka is very high,
but the problem is even greater because most of those caries lesions are
untreated.
