Khattak O, Iqbal A, Chaudhary FA, Syed J, Alsharari T, Vundavalli S, Aljahdali BAS, AlZahrani AEA, Issrani R, Sultan SE. Evaluating a linkage between obesity and the occurrence of dental caries among school going children in Sakaka, Al Jouf, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
PeerJ 2022;
10:e13582. [PMID:
35722257 PMCID:
PMC9202539 DOI:
10.7717/peerj.13582]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Accepted: 05/23/2022] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
Obesity and dental caries are global public health problems. There are conflicting reports about the relationship between caries and obesity. The aim of this study was to analyze the type of relationship between the dental caries and obesity among school children in Al-Jouf region of Saudi Arabia.
Methods
This cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 participants aged 6 to 14 years. The study involved measuring caries (dmft/DMFT), assessing body mass index (BMI), and administering a self-completion questionnaire. An independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.
Results
Out of 400 participants, 380 agreed to participate in the study. Overall caries prevalence among the participants was 76.1% and mean DMFT and dmft values were 2.8 ± 1.0 and 3.7 ± 1.6. Among the factors associated with mean caries scores, relation between DMFT scores and frequency of consumption of sugar was statistically significant (F = 3.82,0.01). Regression models has identified children with increased BMI values has 3.2 times more risk of getting dental caries in permanent teeth (P = 0.001).
Conclusion
There was a positive association between obesity and dental caries in school going Saudi Arabian children. Comprehensive multidisciplinary approach by health professionals is recommended for preventive public health issues related to caries and obesity in teenagers.
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