Is body mass index truly related to dental caries? Survey on predisposing factors for overweight among Indian school children

Abstract

Introduction: Globally, non-communicable diseases are increasingly recognized as a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Among them, overweight and obesity are imperative. The problem of overweight and obesity is not confined to adults but also to children and adolescents. The present changing dietary pattern among children is contributing to childhood overweight and on other hand stands as a risk factor in the development of dental caries, hence the study aimed to investigate the relation between overweight and dental caries among school children. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 5-6-year and 12-year-old school children to evaluate the relation between body mass index (BMI) and dental caries. Using stratified random sampling technique 1017 school children were selected. Subjects who have brought consent from their parents were included and subjects who were absent on the day of examination were excluded. A pre-structured questionnaire was prepared to collect data regarding demographic details, oral hygiene practices, dentition status and treatment needs, (BMI), 24-hour diet history, physical activity, and television watching. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis (SPSS V 16.0) using Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression tests. Results: "Risk of overweight" 20% and an "overweight" of 40% were observed. With BMI, parental overweight (P = 0.001), socioeconomic status (SES) (P = 0.001), physical activity (P = 0.001) and television watching (P = 0.001) were found to be statistically related. Body mass index and dental caries were not statistically related. Conclusion: These complex and multifactorial relations like overweight and dental caries may involve many unknown factors which warrant exploration on larger population.