A cross-sectional evaluation of dental caries in primary teeth and nutritional status was conducted involving 285 Peruvian children from low socioeconomic conditions aged 3-9 y. Forty-nine percent of the children were found to be chronically malnourished (stunted) whereas acute malnutrition (wasting) was infrequent (2%). Stunted children showed a delayed exfoliation of primary teeth. The caries prevalence curve as a function of age (ie, a plot of decayed, extracted, and filled teeth vs age) was found to be shifted to the right by approximately 15 mo in stunted children as compared with well-nourished children. Children aged 7-9 y with stunted growth showed a significantly higher percentage of carious teeth than did well-nourished children of the same age (40 and 29%, respectively; p less than 0.005). Nutritional deficits that lead to chronic malnutrition not only may affect tooth exfoliation but also appear to render the primary teeth more susceptible to caries attack later in life.

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Objective: To estimate the association strength of dietary behaviour and sedentary habits in relation to childhood obesity in Spain. Design: A matched case-control study was carried out using data collected by sentinel network paediatricians in general practices. Setting: Five Spanish autonomous communities. Subjects: Cases were 437 children (2-14 years old) with BMI .95th percentile according to Spanish reference tables. Controls were 751 children (2-14 years old; two paired per case) with BMI ,84th percentile. Data were collected in two phases: individual (questionnaires filled in by sentinel paediatricians) and family (self-administered questionnaires filled in a family environment). Crude OR and adjusted OR (ORc and adj OR) for the given variables were calculated using a simple and multiple conditional logistic regression analysis. Results: The factors with the greatest effect on obesity were family history of obesity: both parents (adj OR 5 11?2), mother but not father (adj OR 5 9?1), father but not mother (adj OR 5 6?1), siblings (adj OR 5 2?7); and eating between meals (adj OR 5 2?5) and consumption of sweets and soft drinks .2 times/week (adj OR 5 2?0). The highest protection effect was found for five meals per day (adj OR 5 0?5), the regular consumption of breakfast (adj OR 5 0?5) and for eating fruit for dessert (adj OR 5 0?6). Factors related to sedentary habits did not appear as noteworthy. Conclusions: We have determined the association between certain dietary behaviour and family history with childhood obesity in several Spanish regions.