Prevalence of early childhood caries at Harris County clinics.

Nursing caries has been found to be positively associated with children from families of low socioeconomic status. The Harris County Health Department (HCHD) serves a population consisting predominately of low-income, low-educational-level clients who reside in the suburban areas surrounding Houston, Texas. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of early childhood caries and nursing caries among patients of the HCHD dental clinics. The study method was a retrospective chart review of all patients seen at the HCHD dental clinics within the two years before the study. There were 135 children in the sample, with a mean age of fifty-seven months. About half of the children had a quarter (five or more) of their primary teeth filled or decayed. The prevalence of early childhood caries was 76 percent and 44 percent of the children were classified in the group with nursing caries. The prevalence of early childhood caries and nursing caries among patients from low socioeconomic families is still high.