Obesity and caries in four-to-six year old English children: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundObesity and caries are common conditions in childhood and can have significant implications on children’s wellbeing. Evidence into their association remains conflicting. Furthermore, studies examining the ssociation between obesity and caries commonly focus on individual-level determinants. The present study aimed to examine the association between obesity and caries in young English children and to determine the impact of deprivation and area-level characteristics on the distribution of the two conditions.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study among children in Plymouth city aged four-to-six years. Anthropometric measurements included weight and height (converted to Body Mass Index centiles and z-scores), and waist circumference. Caries was assessed by using the sum of the number of teeth that were decayed, missing or filled. A questionnaire was used to obtain information on children’s demographic characteristics, oral hygiene, and dietary habits. The impact of deprivation on anthropometric variables and caries was determined using Linear and Poisson regression models, respectively. Multiple logistic regression was used to assess the association between different anthropometric measures and caries. Logistic regression models were also used to examine the impact of several demographic characteristics and health behaviours on the presence of obesity and caries.ResultsThe total sample included 347 children aged 5.10 ± 0.31 (mean ± SD). Deprivation had a significant impact on caries and BMI z-scores (p < 0.05). Neither BMI- nor waist circumference z-scores were shown to be significantly associated with dental caries. Among the neighbourhood characteristics examined, the percentage of people dependent on benefits was found to have a significant impact on caries rates (p < 0.05). Household’s total annual income was inversely related to caries risk and parental educational level affected children’s tooth brushing frequency.ConclusionsNo associations between any measure of obesity and caries were found. However, deprivation affected both obesity and caries, thus highlighting the need to prioritise disadvantaged children in future prevention programmes.

Influence of overweight/obesity, socioeconomic status, and oral hygiene on caries in primary dentition

“…For young children, the BMI seems to have more negative effects on oral health. This finding contradicts those of Paisi et al, who suggested that there could be no measurable relationship until later in life . However, even younger children were included in our study.…”

“…However, because this leads to an underestimation of expected effects, the actual effects should be even more relevant. Nevertheless, the univariate analysis shows a correlation between excessive body weight and the occurrence of caries, a correlation that could also be shown in a recent study by Paisi et al, in which a positive association between weight status and obesity was shown …”

“…SES also plays an important role in caries development, which has been described several times . Therefore, body weight alone could not be the decisive risk factor, but must be regarded in connection with SES.…”

Early childhood caries and related risk factors: A cross‐sectional study of children in Zhejiang Province, China

“…Province is much higher than that in Japanese (31.1%) 9 and English children (31.7%). 10 Compared with more developed countries such as Japan and England, Zhejiang is slower in terms of oral health promotion and treatment, which falls behind its economic development, 13 analysis showed that the prevalence of ECC increased significantly with age. 13 We believe that this is mainly attributed to the cumulative effect of age throughout life.…”

Excess Body Weight, Snack Limits and Dental Caries in Brazilian Preschoolers: A Population-Based Study

“…Although caries and nutritional problems in childhood have a common risk factor [5] and studies have investigated the relationship between these events, the literature offers inconclusive and conflicting findings [6]. Some studies indicate a positive association between caries in the primary dentition and the body mass index [7,8], whereas others have found an inverse association [9,10] or no association at all [11]. Moreover, a nonlinear association has been reported in which both children with overweight or obesity and those who are thin or very thin have a higher prevalence rate of dental caries than children in the ideal weight range [12,13].…”