Caries status and overweight in 2- to 18-year-old US children: findings from national surveys.
BACKGROUND
The prevalence of overweight children in the United States continues to increase.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between being overweight and caries in primary and permanent dentition in a nationally representative sample of children.


METHODS
Data from the NHANES III (1988-1994) were analyzed using logistic regression and controlling for potential confounders for 10 180 children 2-18 years of age and from the NHANES 1999-2002 for 7568 children 2-18 years of age.


RESULTS
For children 2-5 years of age, there was no difference in caries experience among normal weight, at risk for overweight or overweight children for NHANES III and for NHANES 1999-2002. For children 6-11 years of age (NHANES III), at risk for overweight and overweight children were less likely to have caries experience in the primary dentition than normal weight children; overweight children were less likely to have caries experience in the permanent dentition than normal weight children. For children 12-18 years of age (NHANES III), overweight children were less likely to have caries experience in the permanent dentition than normal weight children. For children 6-11 years of age and 12-18 years of age (NHANES 1999-2002), there was no difference in having caries experience among normal, at risk for overweight and overweight children.


CONCLUSIONS
The data from NHANES III and NHANES 1999-2002 provide no evidence to suggest that overweight children are at an increased risk for dental caries. Although no differences in caries rates by weight were found in younger children, interestingly results from NHANES III suggest that being overweight may be associated with decreased rates of caries in older children.
Kopycka-Kedzierawski
D T
DT
Eastman Department of Dentistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14620, USA. Dorota_KopyckaKedzierawski@urmc.rochester.edu
Auinger
P
P
Billings
R J
RJ
Weitzman
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004245:DMF Index; D003710:Demography; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology