Examining the Relationship between Social and School Environment and Children's Caries Experience Using Primary and Secondary Data: A Cluster Analysis

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Assess Dental Caries, Overweight and Obesity in Schoolchildren in the City of Alfenas, Brazil

Childhood-related obesity and overweight are increasing concerns for the health and well-being of children. Dental caries (decay) is the most prevalent oral disease during childhood, and several studies have suggested that nutritional status and dental caries are associated in children. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the geographic distribution of childhood overweight/obesity and dental caries in a medium-sized Brazilian city. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 269 children of both genders enrolled in four public schools in the city of Alfenas. The children were clinically examined to assess cavitated dental caries and nutritional status (overweight and obesity). In addition, the GIS was used for the geospatial clustering analyses. A heat map was created by the Kemel method to estimate the concentration of the outcomes. The cavitated dental caries and overweight/obesity were also pointed out by dots on the map. However, of the 269 children, 118 were boys (43.87%) and 151 were girls (56.13%). One hundred fifty-seven children (58.4%) were classified as having "non-cavitated caries," while 112 (41.6%) were classified as having "cavitied caries." In the nutritional status assessment, 204 children (75.84%) were classified as "eutrophic," while 65 children (24.16%) were classified as "overweight/obesity," A geographical correlation of dental caries with overweight/obesity may exist in the northeast and southwest areas. In conclusion, a geographical concordance between the dental caries and the occurrence of overweight/obesity among the schoolchildren from Alfenas may exist in some areas. Future studies are necessary.

Relation between caries experience and the consumption of sweetened drinks and processed food in children: A population-based study

OBJECTIVES

Diet can play a role in caries disease and the consumption of ultra-processed foods has increased over the years. The purpose was to propose predictive models on the relation between caries experience, diet, sex, and oral health aspects.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 5213 schoolchildren aged 2-11 years and a questionnaire based on WHO Oral Health Survey was applied to assess the intake of sugary foods, oral hygiene practices, access to health services and parents' perception; dmft/DMFT index, biofilm accumulation and orthodontic treatment need were assessed by 6 calibrated dentists.

RESULTS

The logistic model showed that female sex and presence of biofilm increased the chance of having early childhood caries; besides, this chance increased by 17% for each additional day of sweetened drink intake. In children aged 6-11 years, a negative binomial regression model showed that the absence of biofilm and frequency of toothbrushing were related to lower caries index, while male sex and the consumption of salty snacks and cake/cookies were related to higher dmft+DMFT index. Disagreement or weak agreement between caregivers' perception of the presence of dental caries and children's need for dental treatment was found.

CONCLUSION

Early childhood caries was dependent on the consumption of sweetened drinks and the presence of biofilm, while in older children the caries experience was predicted by the consumption of snacks, cakes and biscuits, biofilm accumulation and toothbrushing frequency, emphasizing the need of health education to encourage healthy eating habits and oral care with an approach to parents/caregivers to prevent dental caries development.