Relationship between body mass index, caries experience and dietary preferences in children.
Dental caries and childhood obesity epidemics are multifactorial complex disease and children's dietary pattern is a common underlying etiologic factor in their causation.


METHODS
Five hundred children belonging to the age group of 8-12 years of both sexes were studied. In all of them BMI, dietary preferences to sweet and fatty food snacks and caries experience was determined. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using prevalence test, ANOVA test and chi-square test.


RESULTS
We found that children with obesity and overweight had increased prevalence of dental caries in both primary and permanent dentition compared to normal weight children, which was statistically significant. In addition obese and overweight children had frequent preference to sweet and fatty food snacks compared to children with normal weight.
Sharma
Akhilesh
A
Department of Pedodontics, Dayananda Sagar College of Dental Sciences, Bangalore, India. akhilhere@yahoo.com
Hegde
Amitha M
AM
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000150:complications; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D004041:Dietary Fats; D019422:Dietary Sucrose