Background and Objectives: ECC being a preventable condition, is one of the most prevalent chronic and neglected childhood diseases worldwide. The objectives of the study was to assess the prevalence rate and the effect of independent risk factors of the early childhood caries so that we can implement preventive measures at the earlier stages of the disease.

Methods: 200 children of 2 to 6 years old who were diagnosed with ECC were selected for the study after obtaining the parental consent. The parents of these children were given a dental health questionnaire that evaluated the sociodemographic details, dietary habits and oral hygiene practices of the child. The results were then analysed using IBM® SPSS software.

Results: The prevalence of ECC was found to be 58.5% in the study and statistically significant association of parental education influencing the oral health knowledge was found. The study showed that the bottle/breast feeding for more than a year, practice of not rinsing the mouth after every meal and the practice of sleeping without brushing after snacks were significant in the causation of ECC. The pattern of breastfeeding and frequency of snacking had no association with ECC.

Interpretation and Conclusion: This study provides a strong association of ECC with parental oral health knowledge and ECC promoting behaviours. So oral health programmes mainly targeting the people of lower socioeconomic strata should be employed. These programmes should educate the parents on proper feeding and oral hygiene practices and also the importance of regular dental check-ups.