Abstract: Obejctive To investigate the status of deciduous dental caries among preschool children in Xuhui District of Shanghai. Methods According to the criteria recommended by The Fourth National Oral Health Investigation, the deciduous caries of 10401 preschool children aged 3 to 6 years old from75 public kindergartens in Xuhui District of Shanghai were examined. The prevalence of dental caries and the mean dmft and filling rate were calculated. The results were analyzed using SAS 9.4 software package. Results Maxillary deciduous central incisors and mandibular deciduous molar were most prone to decay in 10401 children. The prevalence of dental caries was 46.62% (4849/10401). The mean dmft score was 2.14?3.34 and the filling rate was 15.87 % (3529/22243). The prevalence of dental caries and mean dmft increased gradually as the children were growing up (P<0.05). The rate of filling teeth of 6 years old group was higher than other groups (P<0.05). No significant difference between males and females were noted (P>0.05). Conclusion Deciduous dental caries of preschool children was an important problem in Xuhui District of Shanghai, and the filling rate was low. Necessary measures for early prevention of dental caries must be taken into consideration.

Key words: preschool children, deciduous teeth, caries