[The relationship between dental caries in preschool children and dental care by mothers]

Although the lierature contains many reports concerning the prevalence of dental caries in Japan, there is little information about the relationship between dental caries in preschool children and dental care by their mothers.Seven hundred and twenty-one children between the ages of 3 and 5 years were examined by three dentists. A mouth mirror and dental explorer were used to detect lesions. Questionnaires were given to thetr mothers concerning toothbrushing, between-meal eating and topical application of fluoride for children. The prevalence rates of clinical caries ranged from 90.4% for 3-year-olds to 97.5% for 5-year-olds. The mean number of decayed teeth was 7.5, 8.8 and 10.2 for 3-, 4- and 5-year-olds children, respectively. In statistic analysis, the group taking one between-meal snack a day showed a lower mean number of decayed teeth than another group (p