An Evaluation of the Relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI), Dietary Habits, and the Prevalence of Dental Caries in Children Aged 4 to 12.

IF 1.4 4区医学 Q3 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE

Oral health & preventive dentistry Pub Date : 2025-03-06 DOI:10.3290/j.ohpd.c_1896

Mihriban Gökcek Taraç, Taibe Tokgöz Kaplan

{"title":"An Evaluation of the Relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI), Dietary Habits, and the Prevalence of Dental Caries in Children Aged 4 to 12.","authors":"Mihriban Gökcek Taraç, Taibe Tokgöz Kaplan","doi":"10.3290/j.ohpd.c_1896","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Aim: To evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries in children aged 4-12 years.Materials and methods: 367 children referred to the pedodontics clinic were included in our study. In this two-stage study, firstly the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFT) or dental caries index (dft) scores of the children were recorded by oral examination, and their weight and height measured. Secondly, the children's parents or legal representatives were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic data and their children's nutritional habits. The data obtained were analysed statistically. In multiple comparisons of variables showing continuous variation with normal distribution, ANO-VA post-hoc analysis and Tukey's tests were used. For variables not showing normal distribution, Kruskal-Wallis post-hoc analysis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used.Results: Considering their BMI, 34.1% children were underweight, 30.8% were of normal weight, 14.4% were overweight, and 20.7% were obese. A significant relationship was found between the children's BMI and age groups (P = 0.000) and BMI increased as age decreased. Both BMI and dental caries incidence increased as the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar products increased. The mean DMFT score was higher for children with overweight BMI. The mean dft score was higher among children in the obese BMI category.Conclusion: High BMI and dental caries are multifactorial disorders with similar risk factors, and the relationship between both is still not fully clear in the literature. Although cross-sectional studies provide the infrastructure for future studies by revealing the prevalence of the disorder, risk factors, and possible consequences, they are inadequate to examine the cause-effect relationship. More detailed and longer-term studies are needed to establish the causal relationship between BMI and dental caries.","PeriodicalId":19696,"journal":{"name":"Oral health & preventive dentistry","volume":"23 ","pages":"165-171"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Oral health & preventive dentistry","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3290/j.ohpd.c_1896","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries in children aged 4-12 years.

Materials and methods: 367 children referred to the pedodontics clinic were included in our study. In this two-stage study, firstly the decayed, missing, and filled teeth index (DMFT) or dental caries index (dft) scores of the children were recorded by oral examination, and their weight and height measured. Secondly, the children's parents or legal representatives were asked to complete a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic data and their children's nutritional habits. The data obtained were analysed statistically. In multiple comparisons of variables showing continuous variation with normal distribution, ANO-VA post-hoc analysis and Tukey's tests were used. For variables not showing normal distribution, Kruskal-Wallis post-hoc analysis and Mann-Whitney U tests were used.

Results: Considering their BMI, 34.1% children were underweight, 30.8% were of normal weight, 14.4% were overweight, and 20.7% were obese. A significant relationship was found between the children's BMI and age groups (P = 0.000) and BMI increased as age decreased. Both BMI and dental caries incidence increased as the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar products increased. The mean DMFT score was higher for children with overweight BMI. The mean dft score was higher among children in the obese BMI category.

Conclusion: High BMI and dental caries are multifactorial disorders with similar risk factors, and the relationship between both is still not fully clear in the literature. Although cross-sectional studies provide the infrastructure for future studies by revealing the prevalence of the disorder, risk factors, and possible consequences, they are inadequate to examine the cause-effect relationship. More detailed and longer-term studies are needed to establish the causal relationship between BMI and dental caries.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Oral health & preventive dentistry DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE-

CiteScore

3.00

自引率

0.00%

发文量

审稿时长

>12 weeks

期刊介绍： Clinicians, general practitioners, teachers, researchers, and public health administrators will find this journal an indispensable source of essential, timely information about scientific progress in the fields of oral health and the prevention of caries, periodontal diseases, oral mucosal diseases, and dental trauma. Central topics, including oral hygiene, oral epidemiology, oral health promotion, and public health issues, are covered in peer-reviewed articles such as clinical and basic science research reports; reviews; invited focus articles, commentaries, and guest editorials; and symposium, workshop, and conference proceedings.