This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of caries in pre-school children and inquire into infant feeding history and associated factors. One hundred fifty six children of ages from 18 to 48 months were clinically examined for dental caries (dmf-t and dmf-s) by one investigator, who was unaware of the mother’s responses to the questionnaire administered by an interviewer. The results were analyzed using non-parametric tests, chi-squared and Man Whitney U. Overall mean dmf-s per children was 3,4 with 40% of the subjects being caries free. It was observed that of those with caries, 36 e 24% had a dmf-t higher than 0 and 4 respectively. The percentage of caries free and not caries free subjects were 42 and 57% for those only breast, 38 and 62% for breast and bottle and 30 and 70% for only bottle fed children. Nursing caries were seen in 20% of the subjects. Bottle fed children were more likely to have nursing caries than those only breast fed. Of those with nursing caries, 77% had been fed for more than 12 months. The mean dmf-t for children in social classes I, II and III were 1.6, 3.6 and 3.1 with 50%, 25% and 29% caries free, respectively. Similarly, children whose mothers had a post-graduation or a college degree had a mean dmf-t significantly lower than those whose mothers finished middle school (p < 0,05). It was concluded that the prevalence of caries in early childhood is relatively high in Piracicaba. The children having nursing caries tended to keep their nursing habits for more than 12 months.
Infant feeding practices; Dental caries
