Aim: This was to explore the socio-behavioural risk factors for ECC in Cambodia. Early childhood caries (ECC) is a significant health problem in Cambodia.
Methods: A convenience sample of 362 primary caregiver-child dyads were selected. The children were aged between birth and 6 years old and participated in a structured interview and intra-oral examination.
Results: ECC was diagnosed in 244 of 362 (65.6%) children and 178 (50.6%) had severe early childhood caries (sECC). There were significant associations between caries experience and tooth brushing, dietary, and nursing habits. The odds ratio (OR) for sECC in those children who started brushing before the age of 18 months was 0.41 (CI 0.18, 0.93). However, for those children who continued to breast-feed after the age of 2 years the OR was 5.31 (CI 1.50, 18.79).
Conclusions: The most prominent risk factors for ECC in the present study were lack of tooth brushing and breast-feeding past the age of 2 years.
Keywords: Cambodia; Children; Early childhood caries; Socio-behavioural risk factors.