title: Is there a relationship between birthweight and subsequent growth on the development of dental caries at 5 years of age? A cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the associations between childhood growth and the presence of dental caries at age 5.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) a population-based, prospective cohort study were used. We enrolled 14,541 pregnancies, and a 10% sample of these were dentally examined and measured at 61 months of age. Birthweight was obtained from medical records, and birth length and birthweight were assessed by trained ALSPAC measurers. A number of social and lifestyle factors were treated as potential confounding factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 985, children, 242 (24.6%) had caries at 61 months of age. After adjustment, increased weight at birth was associated with a small increased risk of caries at 61 months (OR: 1.08 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.13) per 100 g increase, P = 0.002). A similar association was noted with respect to increased length at birth. Current weight and height did not appear to be associated with caries risk. Children who had caries at 61 months had slower increases in weight and height between birth and 61 months than those without decay at 61 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The weak associations we have demonstrated between weight and length at birth and risk of caries at age 61 months cannot be considered causal, however, the relationship between the two variables warrants further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Peninsula Dental School, Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry, Plymouth, UK. elizabeth.kay@pds.ac.uk
authors.forename: Elizabeth Jane
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kay
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Northstone
authors.forename: Andy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ness
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Duncan
authors.forename: St John
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Crean
mesh_terms: D001724:Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D015430:Weight Gain