title: Energy intake, dental caries and periodontal disease in 11-year-old black children in two regions of Southern Africa: KwaZulu and Namibia.
abstract: The study examined energy intake in relation to dental caries and periodontal disease in 11-yr-old rural and urban black children in low fluoride areas of KwaZulu and Namibia (0.15 ppm F) and one higher fluoride area of Namibia (1.56 ppm F). Twenty-four hour dietary recalls were conducted by trained interviewers and daily energy intake estimated using the MRC dietary analysis programme. DMFS was recorded according to WHO criteria: periodontal disease was measured using CPITN and SAS was used for statistical analysis. The prevalence of dental caries and periodontal disease (using CPITN), were compared within three energy groupings; < or = 850 kcal/day; > 850, < 1400 kcal/day and > or = 1400 kcal/day. The rural low fluoride Namibian children had the lowest mean energy intake (616 kcal/day), which also was the grouping with highest healthy periodontal prevalence (65%). The urban groups had higher energy intakes than the rural communities. Statistically significant effects on caries prevalence were seen for country and fluoride grouping; for periodontal disease, significant effects were noted for country, fluoride group and environment. Energy intake had no statistically significant effect, so this is not a risk marker for the disease.
authors.affiliation: MRC/University of the Witwatersrand Dental Research Institute, Johannesburg, South Africa.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Mackeown
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Cleaton-Jones
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Hargreaves
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D044383:Black People; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000150:complications; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005457:Fluoridation; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009276:Namibia / Q000453:epidemiology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D015995:Prevalence; D012423:Rural Health; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014504:Urban Health