Caries Prevalence among 24 to 71-Month Old Children from Banja Luka

Background: Despite the availability of a variety of preventive and treatment modalities, caries in the early childhood remains a serious and prevalent disease worldwide. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC) among 24 to 71-month old children who attended the Center for preschool education Banja Luka, Republic of Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The whole sample included 297 children of both genders. Caries status of each child was recorded using the dmft index according to the WHO criteria. Results: Two hundred ninety-seven children (138 girls and 159 boys) 24 to 71-month old were examined. The overall prevalence of dental caries was 64.65%. Only 23 (7.74%) children had their teeth restored. Conclusions: ECC prevalence among 24 to 71-month old children who attended the Center for pre-school education in Banja Luka is very high, but the problem is even greater because most of those caries lesions are untreated.