An Evaluation of NHANES III Estimates of Early Childhood Caries

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to estimate and evaluate the prevalence for the United States of early childhood caries (ECC) among children 12 to 23 months of age.

Methods: The 1988-94 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) public-use data set was analyzed using SUDAAN. Two ECC case definitions were used. Definition #1 was restricted to the caries score called by the examiner. Definition #2 liberally included children identified by definition #1 and those possibly having questionable caries scores.

Results: The NHANES III six-year prevalence estimates of caries in the maxillary anterior incisors of children 12 to 23 months of age were 1.0 percent for definition #1 and 1.7 percent for definition #2. Mexican-American and economically disadvantaged children were disproportionally represented with ECC.

Conclusions: The prevalence of ECC among children 12 to 23 months of age is barely detectable at the national level. Alternative study designs and improved case definitions are needed for further advances in ECC.