Impacts of early childhood caries on the mental development

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a widespread public health issue influencing the children’s growth, development and quality of life. ECC-induced pain may provoke premature tooth loss, esthetical concerns and cognitive well-being. Notwithstanding the raising manifestations of the relationship between oral and mental health, impacts of ECC on children’s cognitive development have not been researched yet. The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between ECC and mental development. The current descriptive study involved 150 children assessed using age-specific forms: ASQ®-TR forms for 36-month (34 mo 16 d–38 mo 30 d), 42-month (39 mo 0 d–44 mo 30 d), and 48-month (45 mo 0 d–50 mo 30 d) groups, and ASQ®-SE-TR forms for 36-month (33–41 mo) and 48-month (42–53 mo) groups. Participants were categorized as having ECC, severe early childhood caries (sECC), or no dental caries. Obtained data were analyzed with SPSS® v23. Categorical variables were presented as counts and percentages and the numerical ones as means and standard deviations. Kolmogrov-Simirnov and graphical tests were used to determine whether the numerical variables were normally distributed. Kruskal Wallis, Chi-square and Fisher’s test were implemented for comparisons. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Age-dependent mean scores of ASQ®-TR and ASQ-SE® were found to be statistically indifferent (p > 0.05). Assessment of ASQ®-TR results according to the age showed that risk scores of developmental delays were the highest among 48-months-old children (40.8%) and 42-month-old ones were at the greatest risk of developmental-disability (17%). In ASQ®-SE-TR screening, the highest risk score of social-emotional problems (21.3%) was spotted among the 42-year-old age group. Higher rates of ASQ®-TR risk and developmental delay scores were observed among the children with sECC than the caries-free ones in all three age groups (53.8%, 57.1% and 52.4% respectively). A similar relationship was found between the caries status and ASQ®-TR results (p > 0.05). In all age groups, sECC impacted-children’s mean social emotional development scores (ASQ®-SE-TR) were higher than the children with no caries, which was statistically significant in the 48 months-old age group (p < 0.05). Given that ECC impacts not only growth, development, and quality of life but also social-emotional well-being, a prompt and effective ECC treatment is essential.