Correlation between Caries, Body Mass Index and Occlusion in an Italian Pediatric Patients Sample: A Transverse Observational Study.

Angela Militi,Roberto Lo Giudice,Riccardo Nucera,Angela Alibrandi,Ludovica Ciraolo,Rosamaria Fastuca,Marco Portelli

doi:10.3390/ijerph17092994

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between caries, body mass index (BMI) and occlusion in a sample of pediatric patients. Methods: The study group included 127 patients (72 female, 55 male) aged between 6 and 16 years (mean age 10.2) and selected between January and June 2019 at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Messina. Caries incidence was evaluated using the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index. On the basis of BMI values, using a table adjusted for age and gender, patients were grouped into four categories (underweight, normal weight, risk of overweight, overweight). Results: There was no significant correlation between BMI and DMFT in the whole sample. The study of the correlation between BMI and DMFT in patients with different types of malocclusion showed a significant inverse correlation for patients affected by II class and deepbite malocclusion. Conclusions: The incidence of caries does not seem to be significantly related to BMI and occlusal patterns, but it decreases with increasing age.

Highlights

Over the past two decades, overweight and obesity have increased among children and adolescents around the world, representing a public health concern
This transverse observational study has been performed to evaluate the correlation between caries, body mass index (BMI) and occlusion in a sample of pediatric patients; the correlation between obesity and caries allowed us to verify the relations of interdependency between the variables BMI
According to the data found in the systematic review, this study proves that it is not possible to find a positive correlation between the variables BMI and DMFT

Summary

Introduction

Over the past two decades, overweight and obesity have increased among children and adolescents around the world, representing a public health concern. The aim of this study was to observe how the levels of body mass index (BMI) and obesity have changed in the last 40 years; the results of this analysis showed a substantial increase in the body weight of growing subjects [1]. Dental caries is a multi-factorial disease and affects most of the world population. It is the primary cause of oral pain and tooth loss. It is considered one of the major health-related problems in young children and one of the most prevalent oral diseases [6]. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between caries, body mass index (BMI) and occlusion in a sample of pediatric patients. Conclusions: The incidence of caries does not seem to be significantly related to BMI and occlusal patterns, but it decreases with increasing age

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Discussion

Conclusion