Relationship between Obesity and Dental Caries in Primary Teeth in Iksan city

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between obesity and dental caries in young children. The subjects were 769 children aged 3 to 6 years, in Iksan, Korea. Body mass index (BMI) and decayed and filled primary teeth (dft) were recorded. Children were classified into four groups (underweight, normal, obese at risk, and obese) according to their BMI percentile. The data of 754 participants, excluding 15 underweight children, were analyzed. The mean dft index was 3.39. There were no significant differences in the number of caries according to gender. The dft index increased significantly with age, with a sharp increase between ages 4 and 5. Children in the obese at risk and obese groups had more caries than those in the normal group. However, there were no statistically significant differences in dft index values between BMI-categorized groups except in 3-year-olds. These findings suggest that there is no significant connection between obesity and dental caries in primary teeth.