CARIOUS INFLAMMATION OF MILK TEETH
Keywords:
Early childhood caries, Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus, cariogenic bacteriaAbstract
Early childhood caries (ECC) is a disease that affects the teeth of children between birth and
60 months of age.[2] ECC is characterized by the presence of 1 or more decayed (noncavitation or
cavitation lesions), missing (due to caries), or filled tooth surfaces in any primary tooth. ECC is a very
common vector-borne bacterial infection, usually transmitted from a primary caregiver to a child.[3] The
main bacteria responsible for dental caries are Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) and Lactobacillus.[4]
There is also evidence that people from lower socioeconomic groups are at greater risk of developing
ECC.