DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sjds.2025.v12i11.001

Pages: 162-167

Introduction: Early childhood caries (ECC) is a multifactorial disease influenced by various maternal, prenatal, and perinatal factors. Understanding these associations is essential for developing effective preventive strategies, especially in rural populations. Material and methods: A case-control study was conducted with 386 mothers of preschool children (aged 36–72 months) from ten kindergarten schools in Kannur District, selected via systematic random sampling. The study group (n=193) included children with early childhood caries (ECC), and the control group (n=193) comprised caries-free children. Data on socio-demographic characteristics, prenatal, and perinatal history were collected using a structured questionnaire. Dental examinations followed WHO guidelines. Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U tests and multiple binary logistic regression, with significance set at p<0.05. Results: Children of mothers who experienced vomiting had significantly higher odds of ECC (odds ratio: 3.2) compared to those without vomiting with p value p=0.041 with 95% Confidence Interval of 1.05-9.78. Therefore, an association was found between maternal vomiting during pregnancy and ECC. Other prenatal factors (such as maternal age, diabetes, smoking) and perinatal factors (such as mode of delivery, birth weight) showed no statistically significant association with ECC. No significant differences were observed in prenatal conditions like allergies, oral hygiene practices, and snacking frequency between cases and controls (p>0.05). Conclusions: This study concluded that vomiting during pregnancy have been found to have an association in the development of ECC. Improving maternal knowledge and addressing the barriers can serve as an effective strategy to reduce ECC prevalence.