Infant Dietary Pattern and its Association with Early Childhood Caries in Preschool Children: A Cross-sectional Study.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the associations between feeding and oral hygiene practices during the first year of life and caries prevalence in preschool children. Materials and method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 children between the age-group of 3-5 years in Navi Mumbai, India. Dental caries experience was recorded using WHO criteria. A validated questionnaire with 34 questions was used for collecting information regarding feeding and oral hygiene practices. The data collected were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Chi-square test. Results: Caries prevalence was high and statistically significant (p < 0.05) among those who were breastfed, fell asleep with a bottle in the mouth, fed with additional sugar in bottled milk, those who had a frequent sweet intake, and where infant's teeth were not cleaned soon after eruption. Conclusion: Determining the role of feeding practices on early childhood caries and intervention during early childhood seems to be the most appropriate action to ensure healthy dental habits throughout life. Clinical significance: A future direction for dentists to target preventive interventions in early childhood and incorporate cariogenicity of frequent infant feeding into sound recommendations for parents and caregivers. How to cite this article: Khodke S, Naik S, Agarwal N. Infant Dietary Pattern and its Association with Early Childhood Caries in Preschool Children: A Cross-sectional Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2023;16(3):421-425.

Dental management of a 4-year-old child with congenital afibrinogenemia-A rare case report.

Congenital afibrinogenemia is a rare hematologic disorder with an estimated incidence of 1-2 per million people worldwide. It is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait and is characterized by the inability to synthesize fibrinogen. Clinical features range from minimal bleeding to catastrophic hemorrhage. Because of its rarity, there are not enough clinical guidelines in the management of oral manifestations of patients with this disorder. The following case report presents the dental management of a 4-year-old child with congenital afibrinogenemia under general anesthesia. A multidisciplinary team approach was followed to achieve full mouth rehabilitation, thus improving the overall quality of life of the patient.