Background. Early childhood caries (ECC) is a public health problem due to its impact on children’s health, development, and wellbeing. The objective of this study was to assess the caries experience in 3–5-year-old children and to evaluate the relationship with their mothers’ practices regarding feeding and oral hygiene habits in Kanpur. Method. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken on 2000 (974 boys and 1026 girls) children aged 3–5 years from a random sample of preschools in Kanpur district, India. Dental caries experience was recorded using WHO criteria. A pretested questionnaire with 9 questions was used for collecting information regarding mothers’ practices regarding feeding and oral hygiene practices. Chi-square test ( ) and Student’s -test were used for statistical analysis. Results. The prevalence of ECC was 48% with mean dmft of 2.03 ± 2.99. Boys (57%) were affected more than girls (43%) which was found to be statistically significant ( ). Caries prevalence was high and statistically significant ( ) among those who were breast fed for longer duration, during nighttime, those falling asleep with bottle, and those fed with additional sugar in milk. Conclusion. Determining the role of feeding practices on early childhood caries can help in the development of appropriate oral health promotion strategies. 1. Introduction Dental caries is still a major oral health problem in most industrialized countries, affecting 60–90% of schoolchildren and the vast majority of adults. It is also a most prevalent oral disease in several Asian and Latin-American countries, while it appears to be less common and less severe in most African countries [1]. Within-country disparities are also common, with preschool children from disadvantaged communities generally experiencing higher levels of disease than the general population [2, 3]. Despite credible scientific advances and the fact that caries is preventable, dental decay in the primary dentition of young children continues to pose a serious threat to child welfare. Early childhood caries (ECC) has been defined as “the presence of one or more decayed, missing due to caries, or filled tooth surfaces in any primary teeth in children under 6 years of age” [4, 5]. Due to its high prevalence, impact on quality of life, potential for increasing risk of caries in the permanent dentition, and role in oral health inequalities, ECC is recognised as a serious public health problem [3]. Socioeconomic, sociocultural, and sociobehavioural determinants are believed to influence specific risk factors for ECC such as dietary
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