Relationship between Demographic Characteristics, Dietary Habits, and Oral Hygiene Practices and the Prevalence of Early Childhood Caries among Preschoolers

provides greater protection, mandibular incisors are less susceptible to dental caries. [8][9][10] Literature evidence on the prevalence of ECC is scant in Bihar, specifically in Patna, despite its higher prevalence.Therefore, we undertook this study to assess the ECC risk in Patna and IntroductIonDental caries remains the most neglected disease in children.Parents' indifference to primary teeth, believing that the teeth will fall out soon, or the child's incapacity to express their oral health issues could be the main causes of this.Preschool-aged children are vulnerable to early childhood caries (ECC), a form of dental caries.ECC is defined as the existence of one or more tooth surfaces in any primary teeth in a child aged 71 months or less that are decayed. 1ECC also affects quality of life by not just causing pain or discomfort but also functional outcomes, such as mastication, speech, and esthetics. 2ental caries can result in tooth pain and abscesses, which can limit children's activities and make it difficult for them to eat and sleep. 3Untreated dental caries affects overall growth and results in impaired eating.The burden of these diseases has increased recently due to changes in lifestyle, the easy access to diets that promote dental cavities, and parents' ignorance of oral health issues.Since mothers are the primary carers for preschool-aged children, they have a significant impact on their eating habits and dental hygiene practices.According to a recent study on the quantitative analysis of prevalence of ECC in India, 1 out of every 2 children in the country has the condition, demonstrating the importance of ECC for public health. 4,5here is a recognizable pattern to dental caries in toddlers and preschoolers.Within a month of eruption, this complicated disease affects the maxillary primary incisors and quickly spreads to other primary teeth. 6,7Because the salivary secretion produced by the sublingual and submandibular glands, as well as the tongue cover,