Association Between Nutritional Status and Dental Caries in Brazilian Teenagers with and without Risk for Eating Disorders

As Aragão,Al Cavalcanti,Sm Auad,Lhf Fernandes,Lmt Brandt

doi:10.4034/pboci.2016.161.50

As Aragão, Al Cavalcanti + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4034/pboci.2016.161.50

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Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and dental caries in Brazilian female adolescents with and without behavioral risk for eating disorders. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 60 girls, 15 to18 years old, randomly selected from public and private schools. Risk behavior for eating disorder was assessed by the Bulimic Investigatory Test of Edinburgh, anthropometric measurements were taken to calculate the body mass index, dental examinations were performed to verify the caries experience and a questionnaire to collect sociodemographic data was applied. Data were analyzed descriptively and analytically using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences 18.0 software. The level of statistical significance was set at 5%, with a 95% confidence interval. Results: Most of the girls studied in public school (75,0%), had no partner (95,0%) and had a monthly family income above the minimum wage (63,3%). The prevalence of dental caries was high (86.7%). The most used practice for weight loss was the act of purge (18.3%). There was no statistically significant association between dental caries and Body Mass Index (p=0,655), however, it was observed that adolescents with high Body Mass Index had a higher risk for Eating Disorders (p<0,05). Conclusion: The nutritional status was not associated with dental caries, however the monitoring of girls with high Body Mass Indexis important due to the increased risk of eating disorders.

Highlights

Eating disorders are psychiatric conditions associated with different types of behavior, manifested together or separately, have multifactorial etiology and may be presented in different ways, severities and intensities [1,2]
Genetic predisposition is an ever-present factor in psychiatric disorders, it is considered that eating disorders cannot be distanced from the social context of the population, since socio-cultural factors such as social pressure to aesthetics associated with thinness and eating habits have great influence on these diseases [7]; emphasis should be given to feeding behavior, which has repercussions on well-being and health [8]
There was a high prevalence of dental caries experience (86.7%) and only 20% had high body mass index (BMI) (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Eating disorders are psychiatric conditions associated with different types of behavior, manifested together or separately, have multifactorial etiology and may be presented in different ways, severities and intensities [1,2]. They are classified as the third most common chronic diseases in adolescents, especially in girls, and among this group of individuals, eating disorders have higher morbidity and mortality than any other mental disorder [3]. There are three main diagnoses in which eating disorders are classified according to the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorders Manual - DSM 5: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and binge-eating disorder [4]. Genetic predisposition is an ever-present factor in psychiatric disorders, it is considered that eating disorders cannot be distanced from the social context of the population, since socio-cultural factors such as social pressure to aesthetics associated with thinness and eating habits have great influence on these diseases [7]; emphasis should be given to feeding behavior, which has repercussions on well-being and health [8].

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Conclusion