title: Interrelation between obesity, oral health and life-style factors among Turkish school children.
abstract: Obesity, dental caries and periodontal diseases are among major public health concerns which may affect children's growth and development. This study seeks any clustering between obesity, oral health and life-style factors among school children in Istanbul, Turkey. A cross-sectional study of children, 10- to 12-year-olds, from a public and a private school was undertaken with questionnaires for children and their mothers and child oral health data, in Istanbul (n = 611). DMFS (number of decayed, missing and filled surfaces of permanent teeth), CPI (Community Periodontal Index), body mass index (BMI) and life-style factors (tooth-brushing frequency, milk consumption at breakfast and bedtimes on school nights) of children were examined. Data analysis included factor analysis, Student's t test and Chi-square tests by cross-tabulation. Public school children were more dentally diseased but less obese than were those in private school (P < 0.001). They more frequently had calculus (62%) and reported non-recommended tooth-brushing (68%) than did those in private school (37%, 56%; P < 0.05). Principal component analysis revealed that DMFS, CPI and BMI shared the same cluster among all children. A need exists for addressing obesity, oral health and nutrition jointly in health promotion strategies to improve children's well-being and empower good life-style factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, Institute of Odontology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. basak.cinar@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: Ayse Basak
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Cinar
authors.forename: Heikki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Murtomaa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009909:Oral Health; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D010512:Periodontal Index; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D012574:Schools; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014421:Turkey / Q000453:epidemiology