Prevalence of Protein Energy Malnutrition (PEM) and its Association with Eruption of Primary Teeth

Abstract

Protein energy malnutrition (PEM) is one of the most common undernutrition conditions leading to high mortality and morbidity rate among children influencing greatly the skeletal and dental development as well. The aim of the study was to find out the prevalence of PEM among preschool children and its association with eruption of primary teeth. The study was conducted among 500 pre-school children attending Anganwadi centres of Kamrup District (Assam), adopting cross-sectional descriptive survey design. The samples were selected by using purposive sampling technique. The height and weight of the samples were measured and values obtained were compared with WHO guidelines. Eruption of primary teeth was evaluated by oral examination. It was revealed that the overall prevalence of PEM was 37 percent, whereas stunted and wasted subjects were of 67.03 percent and 23.78 percent, respectively and 9.19 percent subjects manifested as both wasted and stunted. Among 54.97 percent subjects with PEM, eruption of primary teeth was not completed.