115 - Effects of Secondhand Smoke Exposure on Childhood Caries

Title: Effects of Secondhand Smoke Exposure on Childhood Caries

Purpose: To determine if there is an association between Early Childhood Caries (ECC) or Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) and secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was completed on children under 13 years of age who presented for clinical exams between January 1, 2018 and January 1, 2022 at a community health center in San Diego, California. A quota sample of 150 subjects was obtained for SHS-exposed and non-exposed groups. The sum of the number of decayed, missing due to caries, and filled teeth (dmft score) was assessed to quantify dental health status. SHS exposure and other demographic variables were evaluated with a t-test for continuous variables and Chi-square for categorical variables.

Results: 310 patients qualified for analysis. The mean age was 6.11 ± 2.78 (SD) years (ranging from 1 to 13 years old). Patients with SHS exposure had significantly higher dmft scores than those without SHS exposure (9.13 ± 4.93 versus 6.05 ± 4.95; P<.001). The presence of S-ECC was significantly higher among participants with SHS exposure (48.0% compared to 15.0%, P< 0.001). Subjects with SHS exposure were more likely to have S-ECC (odds ratio [OR], 4.598; 95% CI, 2.514-8.086).

Conclusions: SHS exposure was positively correlated with higher dmft scores and S-ECC. It is important for pediatric dentists to consider SHS exposure regarding caries risk and counsel families on reducing SHS exposure.