Dental caries status and related factors of 5-year-old children in Shanghai

Abstract Background Dental caries in young children is a difficult global oral health problem. In the last decade, China has put much effort into reducing the prevalence of caries. This study, which is part of the China Population Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance 2021, aims to investigate the prevalence of dental caries among children aged 5 in Shanghai, China, and investigate the factors affecting the incidence of caries and the direction for future improvement. Methods A total of 1281 children aged 5 years from 6 districts in Shanghai were selected by a stratified sampling method. The survey consisted of an oral health questionnaire and an oral health examination. The questionnaire included questions on oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours. Oral health examination using WHO standards. After screening, the data were input and analysed. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to study the relevant factors affecting dental caries. Results The prevalence of caries in 1281 children was 51.0%, the dmft was 2.46±3.45, the Significant Caries Index (SiC) score was 6.39±2.40 and the SiC10 score was 10.35±3.17. Caries experience was related to the frequency of intaking sweet drinks, the age of starting tooth brushing, eating habits after brushing, whether they had received an oral examination provided by the government, and the mother's education level but was not related to gender, the use of fluoride toothpaste, the frequency of brushing, whether the parents assisted brushing, or the frequency of flossing. Logistic regression analysis showed that the region of young children, eating after brushing and the age of starting brushing were associated with caries. Conclusions The caries prevalence of 5-year-old children in Shanghai has been gradually reduced with the support of government investment and various policies, but it is still higher than that of developed countries. The government still needs to further increase investment and improve the oral awareness of the whole society.