Faisal, Ghasak Ghazi and Mohd Noh, Nur Zety and Ibrahim, Farahin and Ardini, Yunita Dewi
(2022)
Study of the relationship between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) in children attending pediatric clinic, Kulliyyah of Dentistry.
In:
Compendium of Dental Sciences Research.
Kulliyyah of Dentistry, pp. 1-10.
Abstract
Obesity is an alarming worldwide health concern as both adults and children can be
affected. Cardiovascular diseases and diabetes mellitus are among the most
commonly associated systemic problems with obesity. In addition, obesity in children
has very harmful effects on the growth and development. Genetic factors can
contribute to obesity, however, in most of the cases, it is caused by poor dietary habits,
high sugar and fat intake and reduced physical activity. On the other hand, the other
effect of ingestion of unhealthy food is manifested on the oral health, such as
development of dental caries. Tooth decay is associated with poor oral hygiene and
the consumption of high sugar foods will lead to a prolonged drop in intraoral pH
and subsequently produce dental caries. The objectives of this study were to
investigate the relationship 1) between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries, and
2) between age group, daily sugar intake, daily oral self-care and dental caries among
pediatric patients attending Polyclinic of Kulliyyah of Dentistry, International Islamic
University Malaysia (IIUM). A total of 120 patients attending pediatric clinic aged
between three to twelve years old were involved in this study. A questionnaire about
the daily sugar intake and oral care of the children was given and answered by the
parents. Body weight and height of the children were measured. The children were
grouped according to BMI categories: underweight, normal, overweight, and obese.
Dental charting was done, and the children were categorized based on the caries risk
assessment: low, medium, and high. Out of 120 patients, 20.8% patients were
underweight, 65% were normal, 5% were overweight, and 9.2% were obese.
Meanwhile, 16.7% of the children had low caries risk, 20.8% had medium caries risk
and 62.5% had high caries risk. Even though both underweight and overweight
children showed higher caries risk than normal weight children, however, there was
no statistically significant association between BMI category and dental caries
(p>0.0.5). Children in the age group three to six scored highest in high caries risk (74.2%). Additionally, children with low sugary intake showed the highest percentage
of low caries risk (50%). This study also found that the children who did not brush
their teeth showed the highest caries risk (76.9%). There was a statistically significant
association between daily sugar intake and dental caries (p=0.045), sugar intake and
BMI (p=0.03) and age group and caries risk (p=0.000). Dental caries is a multifactorial
disease which is caused by various factors like age, diet, and oral self-care. Therefore,
BMI can be attributed to play only a partial role in determining caries status in
children. Hence, proper oral health education and dietary advice since early
childhood should be emphasized to achieve a good oral health
Actions (login required)
 |
View Item |
Download Statistics
Download Statistics