Addressing obesity and dental caries: Rationale and practical guidelines, a narrative review

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic disease with global, epidemic spread. The worldwide prevalence of obesity is a considerable source of concern, given its potential impact on morbidity, mortality, and cost of health care. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized obesity as a predisposing factor to major chronic diseases ranging from cardiovascular diseases to cancers. Once considered a problem only in developed nations, the WHO estimates now show that obesity is on the rise, dramatically, even in low- and middle-income countries. Both obesity and dental caries have common determinants and require a comprehensive, integrated, and multidisciplinary approach. In this context, dental health-care professionals should promote healthy diets not only to prevent dental caries but also to reduce the risk of obesity, provided that obesity and dental caries share common lifestyle factors starting from childhood and adolescence. There are very few literature evidences wherein significant attention has been drawn toward the prevention of this global health burden. The present review focuses on a similar lacuna in the literature and emphasizes the role of primary health-care providers including dental professionals who are well-trained to address this public health concern at grassroots levels. Thus, the improvement of dental health and general well-being of individuals requires an active collaboration between dental and general health-care providers and the implementation of health promotion strategies targeting management of both obesity and dental caries by using a holistic approach.