Abstract
ObjectivesTo investigate the association between underweight and early childhood caries (ECC) among children aged one to three years in rural Cambodia.Materials and methodsA total of 200 Cambodian children aged one to three years at several villages in Kampong Cham province participated in this study. The children whose Z scores were below two and three standard deviations were considered as moderately-underweight and severely-underweight. Children whose mid-upper arm circumstance (MUAC) was below 12.5 cm, were regarded as having malnutrition. ECC was recorded following the WHO guidelines. Associated factors were obtained through interviews with caregivers.Results33.5% and 7.0% of the children were identified as being moderately-underweight and severely-underweight, respectively. The prevalence of ECC was 61.5%. ECC was significantly associated with children being moderately-underweight (P < 0.05). The prevalence of ECC was higher prevalence of those who with severely-underweight, although significant differences were not observed (P = 0.054). Logistic regressions showed that those with low birth weight (OR = 2.57; 95% CI = 1.03–6.40) and malnutrition (OR = 4.71; 95% CI = 1.08–20.62) were likely to be moderately-underweight and severely-underweight, whereas those who with ECC had more moderately-underweight, although it was not significant (OR = 2.21; 95% CI = 0.97–5.00). Those with low birth weight (OR = 10.68; 95% CI = 2.95–38.65) and ECC (OR = 6.67; 95% CI = 1.02–43.61) were likely to be severely-underweight.ConclusionThe findings of this study suggest that low birth weight, malnutrition and ECC were associated factors of underweight in this population.
Highlights
Children’s physical growth is rapid during the first three year after birth [1]
The children whose birth weight was low and who had a mid-upper arm circumstance of
In the present study, we investigated the association between underweight status and ECC among children aged one to three years in a rural area of Cambodia
Summary
International recommendations are to breast feed exclusively for the first six months, after which complementary foods can be introduced into the diet, in a process called weaning. This coincides with the period of time when primary teeth start to erupt, normally starting with the lower incisors at about six months of age. Weaning continues until breast-feeding or bottlefeeding stops, usually before the age of three [2] During this period, oral functions, including lip, tongue and jaw movements develop, and the eruption of the twenty primary teeth is complete [3]. This points to a possibly important interrelationship between nutrition, the growth and development of the child, and oral health
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