Influence of Occlusal Disorders, Food Intake and Oral Hygiene Habits on Dental Caries in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: Dental caries is one of the most common oral diseases affecting children and adolescents. The complex multifactorial etiology of caries involves the host’s characteristics (saliva and tooth enamel), the oral microflora (bacterial plaque), and the substrate (oral hygiene and diet). The aim of the present epidemiologic study was to calculate the DMFT (Decayed, Missed, Filled Teeth) index and to investigate the association between carious lesions with malocclusions, cariogenic food intake and oral care habits in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Southern Italy. Materials and methods: The study sample involved school children attending the 2-year secondary school (corresponding to the eighth grade) of state-funded schools in Naples, in the South of Italy. Children were examined to detect dental caries and occlusal variables; moreover, a questionnaire to find out food and oral hygiene habits was obtained. The association among occlusion variables, oral health, dietary habits, and caries was statistically assessed with the one-way ANOVA, the odds ratio and the χ2 (Chi-Squared test) tests for evaluating the significance. The significance level was set at 0.05. Results: The study showed a lack of association between diet and oral hygiene and caries prevalence in 12-yearold boys and girls, on the contrary, there was a positive association between crossbite and caries. Conclusion: Positive relationship was found between dental caries, parents’ socioeconomic status and crossbite, whereas carious lesions, food intake, oral hygiene and the other type of occlusal disorder did not reveal any significant association.