PREVENTION OF EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES- A PUBLIC HEALTH APPROACH

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a type of dental decay which occurs in deciduous dentition of infants and pre-school children below the age of 6 years. It is considered as the most eminent oral health issue of children world-wide. As soon as it begins to develop in the mouth, it can progress quickly and affect several teeth. More than 70% of children below 6 years of age are found to be commonly affected with dental caries in developing countries which often lead to pain and infection. As it is a major oral health problem, different strategies should be developed which will help in preventing the disease from the early stage of life. The main objective of this paper is to discuss about different public health approaches that can be taken at community level for the prevention of ECC so that most of the children can have the benefit of not being affected with this major oral health problem.