The effects of overweight and obesity on oral health status in children and adolescents

Abstract

Introduction. Improper eating habits among children and adolescents often lead to overweight and obesity. Research indicates that these are risk factors for many diseases, including diseases in the oral cavity. Aim. To analyse the correlations of selected parameters of dental and periodontal health as well as oral hygiene status in overweight and obese children and adolescents versus control group. Material and methods. The study included 120 patients aged 11-18 years, who were classified into a study group with 60 overweight/obese individuals and a control group of 60 individuals with normal body weight based on BMI (Body Mass Index). Each patient underwent anthropometric measurements, such as height (cm), body weight (kg), which were used to calculate BMI. Additional measurements were taken of waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC), to obtain the waist-hip ratio (WHR). Clinical examination of the oral cavity included an assessment of dentition (DMF), oral hygiene API (Approximal Plaque Index) and periodontal tissue (PD ? Pocket Depth, CAL ? Clinical Attachment Level, %BOP ? % Bleeding On Probing) and CPITN (The Community Periodontal Index for Treatment Needs). Results. Statistically significant differences were found between patient groups with BMI ≥ 25 and BMI < 25 in the values of the following parameters: DMF p = 0.005, API p < 0.001, %BOP p < 0.001, PD p < 0.001, CPI p < 0.001. Conclusions. Overweight and obese children were found to have worse parameters of dental and periodontal health as well as oral hygiene status compared to the group with normal weight. Our observations indicate that overweight and obesity may be potential risk factors for periodontal diseases in the study group.