A Cross-sectional Study of the Prevalence of Dental Caries among 12- to 15-year-old Overweight Schoolchildren

Association between dietary fiber to carbohydrate ratio and risk of dental caries in diabetic patients: an analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015-2020

Aim

People with diabetes mellitus have a higher risk of dental caries than the general population. Diet is one of the most important factors affecting the risk of dental caries. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary fiber to carbohydrate ratio (FCR) on the risk of dental caries in diabetic patients.

Methods

Data of this cross-sectional study were extracted from the 2015-2020 cycle of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database. FCR levels were divided into two categories based on the median (0.13). The outcomes were untreated dental caries and dental caries experience. The associations of FCR with untreated dental caries and dental caries experience were assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis and reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Stratified analyses were performed according to age (<65 and ≥ 65 years), gender (female and male), hypertension (yes and no), and the ratio of family income to poverty (PIR, <1 and ≥ 1).

Results

A total of 2,412 patients diagnosed with diabetes were included, of whom 728 (30.18%) had untreated dental caries and 2,104 (87.23%) had dental caries experience. Patients with FCR ≥0.13 were correlated with lower odds of untreated dental caries (OR = 0.72, 95%CI: 0.52-0.99) and dental caries experience (OR = 0.63, 95%CI: 0.42-0.93) compared to patients with FCR <0.13. Stratified analyses demonstrated that patients with FCR ≥0.13 were found to be related to lower odds of untreated dental caries in those aged <65 years (OR = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.42-0.97), female (OR = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.35-0.93), with hypertension (OR = 0.66, 95%CI: 0.45-0.96), and PIR ≥1 (OR = 0.64, 95%CI: 0.42-0.99). Similar results to untreated dental caries were observed in the analysis of dental caries experience (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

High levels of FCR may be associated with a lower risk of dental caries in patients with diabetes. Increasing the proportion of dietary fiber intake among diabetic patients may help prevent the occurrence of dental caries.

The effect of unhealthy dietary habits on the incidence of dental caries and overweight/obesity among Egyptian school children (A cross-sectional study)

Background

Obesity and dental caries are public health problems in Egypt. Factors such as unhealthy diet, poor oral hygiene, and physical inactivity can play a major role in both problems. This study was carried out to illuminate the mutual unhealthy dietary risk factors associated with the incidence of both health conditions.

Methods

Between 1 October 2020 and 1 July 2021, 369 Egyptian children (5-10 years) were examined. Dental status was assessed using decayed, missing/extracted, and filled tooth indices (dmft, deft, and DMFT) for deciduous, mixed, and permanent dentitions, respectively. Moreover, the lifestyle, food habits, and body mass index (BMI) were recorded.

Results

A total of 342 (93.7%) of the included subjects suffered from caries, and only 27(7.3%) were caries-free. Based on BMI percentiles, 247 (66.9%) of the youngsters were overweight/obese, while 122 (33.1%) had normal weight. The mean dmft was 6.9 (±4.6), deft 4.2 (±3.3), and DMFT 0.1 (±1.7). In the primary dentition, a significant positive correlation was detected between dmft and BMI, legumes, sweetened milk and juice, soft drinks, and desserts, while a significant negative correlation was detected between dmft/deft, meat/poultry/fish, fresh fruits, and vegetables. A significant positive correlation was detected between deft and BMI, sweetened milk and juice, ice cream, candies, and crackers. In the permanent dentition, a significant positive correlation was detected between age, soft drinks, sweetened juice, desserts, and DMFT, while a significant negative correlation was detected with fresh fruits and vegetables. BMI was significantly negatively correlated with a healthy lifestyle, meat/poultry/fish consumption, and fresh fruits and vegetables while positively correlated with legumes, ice cream, soft drinks, granulated sugars, desserts, fast food, and caffeinated drinks.

Conclusion

Overweight/obesity was positively correlated with primary dentition dental caries. Desserts (sweetened snacks) and soft drinks could be the common risk factors associated with high caries and overweight/obesity incidence among Egyptian school children; conversely, consumption of fruits and vegetables could hinder both health conditions. Moreover, sweetened juices were associated with primary and permanent dental caries.

Obesity is negatively associated with dental caries among children and adolescents in Huizhou: a cross-sectional study

Background

Obesity and dental caries among children and adolescents are growing worldwide public health problems. They share some common and modifiable influences. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of obesity and dental caries among children and adolescents in Huizhou and explore the association between Body Mass Index (BMI) category and dental caries.

Methods

This cross-sectional study enrolled 105,181 students (55,500 males and 49,681 females) from 87 schools in Huizhou. Height and weight were measured, and BMI was calculated. Based on Chinese BMI standards, students were classified into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obesity groups. Dental caries was diagnosed according to criteria recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). We used the Chi-square test to compare proportions of groups and performed Association Rules Mining to identify patterns and combinations of BMI categories and dental caries. Finally, a multilevel logistic regression model was applied to analyze the association between BMI category and dental caries when confounders were considered.

Results

The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity among children and adolescents was 7.56%, 8.85%, and 2.95%, respectively. The overall prevalence of dental caries was 58.10%, with a lower prevalence among boys than girls. Students from primary schools and remote towns more easily suffer from dental caries. Caries prevalence of students belonged to underweight, normal, overweight, and obesity was 65.6%, 58.8%, 49.6%, and 46.1% individually. With increasing BMI levels, the prevalence of dental caries decreased. Further, this trend still exists in each subgroup of gender, educational stage, school type, and area. Association rules indicate underweight has a positive effect on the occurrence of dental caries, while overweight or obesity has a negative impact on the occurrence of dental caries. The three-level logistic regression model results show that BMI category is inversely associated with dental caries after adjusting confounders.

Conclusion

Obesity is negatively associated with dental caries among children and adolescents in Huizhou. Further research is required to investigate how dietary habits, oral hygiene habits, and parental socioeconomic status mediate the association between BMI and dental caries.

Dental Caries in Relation to Socioeconomic Factors of 6 and 12-year-old Schoolchildren of Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India: An Epidemiological Study

Aims and objectives

Determination of prevalence of dental caries in 6 and 12-year-old schoolchildren, dental caries prevalence between government and private schoolchildren, and the influence of socioeconomic factors on dental caries on children of Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India.

Materials and methods

In the government and private schools at Paonta Sahib of Sirmour district, Himachal Pradesh, India, a cross-sectional study was carried out. The study population comprised schoolchildren of 6 and 12 years. A total of 1,004 children of both genders were surveyed for dental caries status. The decayed, missing, filled teeth (DMFT) index was used for clinical examination of caries. Prior collection of sociodemographic information was done in addition to information on oral health behavior by personal interview.

Results

In the present study, dental caries prevalence was found to be higher in children of 6 years of age (63.6%) than that of 12 years (53.6%) (p = 0.001). The mean DMFT was 2.47 ± 2.75 for 6–year-old children and 1.18 ± 1.33 for 12–year-old children. No significant difference was observed in dental caries prevalence among children of government and private school (p = 0.167). Moreover, dental caries frequency was highest in children belonging to upper-middle (38.14%) class followed by lower-middle (32.32%), upper-lower (25.42%), and upper class (4.12%). The obtained data were analyzed using the chi-square test and one-way ANOVA test.

Conclusion

Dental caries prevalence was high in children of 6 years of age in the study. The dental caries frequency was more in upper-middle-class children. These results suggest that emphasis should be given to scientific monitoring, effective implementation, and evaluation of school-based oral health promotion and preventive programs to increase the dental awareness and oral hygiene practices, in Paonta Sahib, Sirmour district.

How to cite this article

Jindal L, Dua P, Mangla R, et al. Dental Caries in Relation to Socioeconomic Factors of 6 and 12-year-old Schoolchildren of Paonta Sahib, Himachal Pradesh, India: An Epidemiological Study. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2020;13(4):395–398.

Dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children's worldwide, 1995 to 2019: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a type of dental caries in the teeth of infants and children that is represented as one of the most prevalent dental problems in this period. Various studies have reported different types of prevalence of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children worldwide. However, there has been no comprehensive study to summarize the results of these studies in general, so this study aimed to determine the prevalence of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children in different continents of the world during a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods

In this review study, articles were extracted by searching in the national and international databases of SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Cochrane, Embase, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed, and Web of Science (ISI) between 1995 and December 2019. Random effects model was used for analysis and heterogeneity of studies was evaluated by using the I² index. Data were analyzed by using the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis (Version 2) software.

Findings

In this study, a total of 164 articles (81 articles on the prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth and 83 articles on the prevalence of dental caries in permanent teeth) were entered the meta-analysis. The prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth in children in the world with a sample size of 80,405 was 46.2% (95% CI: 41.6–50.8%), and the prevalence of dental caries in permanent teeth in children in the world with a sample size of 1,454,871 was 53.8% (95% CI: 50–57.5%). Regarding the heterogeneity on the basis of meta-regression analysis, there was a significant difference in the prevalence of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children in different continents of the world. With increasing the sample size and the year of study, dental caries in primary teeth increased and in permanent teeth decreased.

Conclusion

The results of this study showed that the prevalence of primary and permanent dental caries in children in the world was found to be high. Therefore, appropriate strategies should be implemented to improve the aforementioned situation and to troubleshoot and monitor at all levels by providing feedback to hospitals.

Association between Dental Caries and Obesity in Children and Young People: A Narrative Review

OBJECTIVES

To explore the association between obesity and dental caries in children and adolescents. Furthermore, to consider the possible reasons behind this relationship.

METHODS

A database search for papers published between January 2015 and May 2018, inclusive, addressing the association between obesity and dental caries was conducted. A review and critical appraisal of all included studies was performed.

RESULTS

Twenty-six studies were included in this review from different populations worldwide. Eight studies assessed the primary dentition, nine studies were conducted on permanent dentition, and remaining nine studies on both dentitions. The results regarding the association between obesity and dental caries were conflicting and inconsistent. Nine studies concluded that there was no relationship between obesity and dental caries. A positive association was reported in five studies, while the inverse association was reported in eleven studies. Studies included in this review had significant variations in methodology and the investigated cofactors. Possible explanations of the controversial association between obesity and dental caries are discussed in this review.

CONCLUSION

Both obesity and dental caries are multifactorial diseases, and their association is far more complex that can be explained by a single common risk factor, presenting evidence for the complexity of this association.

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

AIM

This study aimed to assess associations between dental caries and anthropometric measures among a sample of children aged 5-9 years in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

METHODS

A cross-sectional observational study was conducted among 5- to 9-year-old children in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Data were collected from children and their parents attending the Dhaka Dental College Hospital and from three nearby primary schools. The outcome measures were as follows: age and sex adjusted height-z-scores (HAZ), weight-z-scores (WAZ) and BMI-z-scores (BAZ). Multiple linear regressions were used to assess the associations between caries and anthropometric measures, adjusted for maternal education, family income, study setting, birth weight and childhood diseases as potential confounders.

RESULTS

The final sample comprised 788 children, and the overall response rate was 96.7%. The majority (73.2%) had experience of dental caries. The mean dmft + DMFT score was 2.84 (95% CI 2.64, 3.03) and 35.8% experienced dental sepsis. Dental caries and sepsis were negatively associated with HAZ, WAZ and BAZ scores. After adjustment for potential confounders, children with severe levels of caries had lower HAZ scores (coefficient: -0.40; 95% CI -0.69, -0.10), lower WAZ scores (coefficient: -0.59; 95% CI -0.94, -0.24) and lower BAZ scores (coefficient: -0.50; 95% CI -0.87, -0.13) than those who were caries free. Children with moderate levels of caries also had lower WAZ scores (coefficient: -0.43; 95% CI -0.72, -0.15) and lower BAZ scores (coefficient: -0.43; 95% CI -0.72, -0.13) than caries-free children. Children with dental sepsis had lower HAZ (coefficient: -0.23; 95% CI -0.42, -0.03), WAZ (coefficient: -0.33; 95% CI -0.56, -0.10) and BAZ scores (coefficient: -0.29; 95% CI -0.53, -0.05) than dental sepsis-free children.

CONCLUSIONS

Dental caries was associated with lower height, weight and BMI among this sample of Bangladeshi children, even after adjusting for age and sex and a number of potential confounders.

Association between body mass index and dental caries among special care female children in Makkah City

BACKGROUND

Dental caries and obesity are multifactorial diseases with diet being a common contributory factor.

OBJECTIVE

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the association between dental caries and obesity among special care female school children in Makkah City, Saudi Arabia.

DESIGN

Analytical cross-sectional study.

SETTING

Special schools in Makkah City.

STUDY POPULATION AND METHODS

Schools were chosen by lottery and female children were ran.domly selected. Dental caries detection was performed according to the World Health Organization criteria. The medical evaluation assessed the body mass index (BMI).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

With appropriate sample weighting, relationships between dmft/DMFT (decayed, missing, filled teeth for deciduous and permanent dentition) and obesity were assessed using multilevel logistic regression.

RESULTS

In 275 special care children, the prevalence of dental caries was 56.7 percent. The mean dmft and DMFT scores for the entire study population were 3.9 (4.8) and 3.2 (4.1), respectively. Forty percent of children were mentally retarded, 22.2% presented with deafness, blindness or both, 18.9% presented with Down syndrome and 14.9% were autistic. From the total sample, the mean BMI was 20.2 (2.8). When adjusted for covariates, the logistic regression model showed strong association between caries and obesity (adjusted odds ratio=2.9; 95% CI=1.2-4.9).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrated a significant association between caries frequency and overweight/obesity in special care school children.

LIMITATIONS

Since the data was cross-sectional, causal relationships cannot be established and the observed association could be due to other unexplored factors. Because of cultural and ethical consideration, including segregation of gender in Saudi Arabia, only female children were included in the present study, which limited the findings.