About this Research Topic

Background

Early Childhood Caries (ECC) is a pressing public health issue globally, significantly affecting children's oral health and overall well-being. This multifactorial disease is influenced by various risk factors, including feeding habits, dietary choices, oral hygiene practices, and the transmission of streptococcus mutans. Social determinants such as low socio-economic status, limited parental education, and restricted access to dental services further exacerbate the problem. Despite being preventable, ECC continues to impact a substantial number of children worldwide, necessitating a paradigm shift in prevention and management strategies. Traditional approaches have primarily focused on treating ECC, often overlooking the underlying etiological and risk factors. Recent studies emphasize the importance of oral health education and early intervention, particularly during the prenatal phase, to prevent ECC. Maternal and child health service providers play a crucial role in educating parents and caregivers about oral hygiene, maternal oral health, and nutritional options. However, a comprehensive and preventive approach, involving multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals, is still lacking. Innovative preventive measures, such as fluoride applications and silver diamine fluoride, have shown promise in reducing ECC risk, yet their integration into broader public health strategies remains limited.

This Research Topic aims to explore innovative prevention and management strategies for Early Childhood Caries, moving beyond curative approaches to more comprehensive and preventive methods. The primary objectives include understanding the epidemiology of ECC, identifying its determinants, and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration to address this public health challenge. Key questions include how maternal oral health education can be integrated into prenatal care and how policy modifications can support a paradigm shift in ECC prevention and management.

To gather further insights into the prevention and management of Early Childhood Caries, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Epidemiology of ECC with a focus on addressing its burden
- Determinants of ECC, including biological, behavioral, socio-economic, cultural, genetic, and environmental factors
- Maternal oral health education and prenatal aspects, integrating oral health promotion into general health and well-being
- Multidisciplinary collaboration among dental professionals, dietitians, lactation consultants, nurses, pediatricians, speech therapists, and obstetricians
- Policy and advocacy, focusing on modifications in current ECC policies
- The use of silver diamine fluoride and community-based initiatives
- Teledentistry and the role of technology in early detection and prevention of ECC

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Early Childhood Caries (ECC), Early Intervention, ECC Risk Factors, Oral Health Promotion, Maternal Oral Health, SDF, Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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