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

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.