Background: Early-life dental caries is a major global health problem. Children's
first dental visit is recommended at 2 years age. The VicGeneration (VicGen) oral
health birth cohort study aims to understand the multifactorial nature of early childhood
caries. This report describes the baseline characteristics of children in the
VicGen study.
Methods: We merged data between the first (at birth) and fourth waves (18 month
age) to assess dental caries among children (primary outcome) and other oral diseases
(secondary outcomes) employing t tests, chi-square tests, Fisher's exact tests,
and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel tests using IBM-SPSS(v25).
Results: Most children lived in metros with two-parent families. Most guardians
were women graduated from high school. Twenty-seven of 389 (6.94%) 18-monthold
children experienced dental caries. More children living in rural areas (vs. urban)
experienced caries. Females were more likely to experience caries (OR: 2.16). Several
children had other oral health problems. In early life, children's oral examination was
conducted by midwives, breastfeeding/lactation consultants, hospital nurses, speech
pathologists, and breastfeeding clinic staff.
Conclusion: VicGen baseline characteristics show that almost 7% of the 18-monthold
children experienced caries. There is a need to advance children's recommended
first dental visit date and to train early-life healthcare professionals about oral
diseases