Psychological impact of early childhood caries in children

Aim: To assess the psychological impact of early childhood caries in children. Method: Children between 4-6years of age were selected for study and were divided into Group A- sever early childhood caries and Group B- caries free. Face image scalewas used to evaluate the children’s perception of their own teeth in both the groups and children with the help of investigators were asked to fill the simple questionnaire, to evaluated psychological impact in children. Result: The children with severe early childhood caries felt sadder about their teeth compared to caries-free children. Severe early childhood carieschildren had toothache, ashamed of smiling, problem in eating certain food and a significant proportion of children had missed school due to pain/appointment, stopped playing with other children, teased by friends because of their teeth. Conclusion: Sever early childhood caries exhibited psychological impact in children. Psychological impacts on young children, suggested the need for intervention programs to address oral health problems among children.