The dental caries experience, oral hygiene and dietary practices of preschool children of factory workers in Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Scoping review of nutrition intervention and dietary assessment studies in Khmer populations living in Cambodia

BACKGROUND

This scoping review aims to describe the body of nutrition intervention and dietary assessment research undertaken with Khmer populations in Cambodia, as well as summarise the nutrition knowledge base and highlight priority areas for future research.

METHODS

Five databases and the grey literature were searched, following PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Studies involving dietary assessment or nutrition interventions published after 1992 were identified using specific search terms and extracted to a customised data extraction table for categorisation and analysis. Study participants were Khmer people of any age and gender, living in rural or urban Cambodia.

RESULTS

Of the 100 included studies, 58 were dietary assessment only studies, 24 were nutrition interventions only, and 18 studies involved both assessment of intake and an intervention. Sixty-eight percent of study populations were mothers and young children, of which 52 studies focused on children aged under 5 years. Nineteen interventions involved supplementation and six trialled fortification of rice or fish sauce. Anaemia was the most common nutrition condition studied (n = 17), followed by malnutrition (n = 15) and malnutrition risk factors (n = 11). General nutrition status was explored in 25 studies, and individual micronutrients that were studied included iron (n = 27), zinc (n = 6), vitamin A (n = 4) and thiamine (n = 3).

CONCLUSIONS

Diet-related research in Khmer populations in Cambodia has predominantly focused on dietary assessment or evaluation of interventions aimed at reducing malnutrition and resolving micronutrient deficiencies. Areas identified as emerging needs included non-communicable diseases, the ageing population and non-iron deficiency anaemia.

Epidemiological survey of early childhood caries in Cambodia

Background

The Southeast Asian Forum for Early Childhood Caries identified the need for more epidemiological surveys involving preschool children. To date, the only data on Early Childhood Caries in Cambodia come from convenience samples and only using the basic dmft index without measurement of the early signs of disease.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey on an epidemiological sample of Cambodian preschool children was conducted in conjunction with the fourth follow-up of the Cambodian Health and Nutrition Monitoring Study. Children were examined in a field setting using both the South East Asian Index for Early Childhood Caries as well as the ‘pulpally involved, ulcerated, fistula, abscess’ (pufa) index. Caregivers also participated in a short questionnaire covering dietary habits, oral health knowledge and behaviors, as well as the Family Impact Scale (FIS) for Oral-Health-Related Quality-of-Life.

Results

The sample included 3985 participants between birth and 4-years of age, across three provinces. There was an even sex distribution (50.7% male). Overall 56.6% of participants had one or more carious lesions and 5.4% had one or more pulpally-involved teeth. There were some significant differences by age and location. Among those in the 3-year-old age group 84.9% had at least one decayed tooth, and 16.1% had one or more pulpally-involved teeth. There were differences in oral health knowledge and behaviors by province; those in Phnom Penh reported more favorable responses. Consumption of non-nutritious foods also differed between provinces with those in Phnom Penh consuming a higher mean number of sweet beverages per day. Those children with at least one pulpally involved tooth had a ten times greater chance of realizing an impact across the FIS.

Conclusions

Cambodian preschool children have a severe burden of dental caries and a high proportion of families are impacted by this problem. There were differences in oral health knowledge and behaviors according to province and this translated into differences in caries experience. The data from this study support the need for urgent action to address the issue of ECC in Cambodia.

A systematic review of the relationship between breastfeeding and early childhood caries

This systematic review investigated the relationship between early childhood caries (ECC) and breastfeeding. The systematic review methodology used by the Cochrane Collaboration was modified and adopted for this review. 28 of 151 articles (18.5%) were relevant for the study and were rated as strong (0), moderate (3), weak (9) or very weak (16). Validity scores indicated whether a study met the reviewer's criteria for research rigour. The percentage of studies that received a passing score for each criterion examined were: study design (3.6%), confounders (21%), data collection method (54%), definition of ECC (57%), dental health practices (28%) and infant feeding practices (4%). A lack of methodological consistency related to the study of the association of breastfeeding and ECC, and inconsistent definitions of ECC and breastfeeding, make it difficult to draw conclusions. Moderate articles indicate that breastfeeding for over one year and at night beyond eruption of teeth may be associated with ECC. Due to conflicting findings in less rigorous research studies, no definitive time at which an infant should be weaned was determined, and parents should begin an early and consistent mouth care regime.