Association Between Dental Caries and Body Mass Index Among Hamedan Elementary School Children in 2009

Abstract

Objective: Excessive weight in children is a major public health concern. The intake
of refined carbohydrates, especially sugars and the prevalence of dental caries
are well documented in the literature. The purpose of this study was to investigate
the relationship between dental caries and BMI in elementary school children.
Materials and Methods: The sampling technique used in the present study was a
cluster random sampling. A total of 1000 pupils (500 girls, 500 boys) aged 6-11
years from 20 private and state elementary schools (10 boys, 10 girls). The weight
status was measured in children by assessment of body mass index (BMI) (=body
weight/body height2 kg/m2) corresponding to gender and age-ranked percentages.
To assess the caries frequency the decayed filled teeth (DFT) index for permanent
dentition and the dft index for primary dentition were used since they give good
perception about the situation of tooth caries in young patients.
Results: The highest mean total dft/DFT was seen in normal weight and lowest
average in at risk of overweight children. There was not a statistically significant
relationship found between high weight and caries frequency in the first (p=0.08)
and permanent dentitions (p=0.06).
Conclusion: The results of this preliminary study do not support an association
between dental caries and obesity.