Relationship between Body Mass Index and Tooth Decay in a Population of 3–6-Year-Old Children in Iran

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between BMI and tooth decay in a population of Iranian children. In this cross-sectional descriptive/analytical study, 1482 children were selected from kindergartens and preschool centers in Kerman, Iran. The children underwent examination of deciduous teeth (using the dmft index) after determination of height and weight for calculation of BMI. The relationship between BMI (after adjustment for age) and dmft was determined using Poisson's regression model. The mean of dmft in children with normal BMI was 1.5-fold that in subjects with extra body weight. Age had a significant effect on dmft. In addition, dmft was higher in boys compared to girls. The results of the present study showed that caries rate in the deciduous teeth of 3–6-year-old children decreases with an increase in body weight.

Is diet quality associated with early childhood caries in preschool children? A descriptive study

“…23,34,35 Similar to previous studies [36][37][38] , this study confirmed the higher percentage of ECC in older age in terms of the higher mean values of dt, mt, ft, dmft and dmfs age. According to Turkish national study results 39 , the mean value of dmft was 3.6±3.9 among 5 year olds.…”

Dental caries and anthropometric measures in a sample of 5‐ to 9‐year‐old children in Dhaka, Bangladesh

“…Two previous studies, conducted in Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia, which used z‐scores for height and weight based on WHO growth reference data 2007 and considered anthropometric measures on a continuous scale, have found similar negative associations between dental caries and children's height and weight . The inverse associations found in the present study were also in agreement with several other cross‐sectional study findings from different LMICs, although some studies have used dental caries as the outcome, while others (including our study) used anthropometric measures as the outcome . The direction of the associations cannot be ascertained in cross‐sectional studies.…”

Determination of Factors Related to Obesity and Overweight Among Students in Ilam

“…This result may be due to the lack of hygienic conditions of milk teeth. In a study conducted in Kerman by Shafiee Bafti et al in 2015, dental caries increased with age, which was not in line with this study (13).…”

“…In a study carried out in India, most students with dental caries were among the groups of obese students (11). creased in Iranian children during the past 15 years (13). A study conducted in Iran has reported the prevalence of obesity in children aged 7 to 11 to be 5.5% -8.5% (14).…”