title: Childhood obesity and dental caries among paediatric dental clinic attenders.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  More than one-quarter of New Zealand children are overweight or obese. Research on the causes of obesity has found associations with high consumption of sweetened foods and beverages, which have also been shown to be risk factors for dental caries, but studies investigating a possible association between dental caries and obesity have had conflicting findings.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to determine whether deciduous dental caries experience was associated with BMI among paediatric dental clinic attenders.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a cross-sectional study of clinical records of 200 children aged eight and under (70% European) treated in the University of Otago undergraduate paediatric dentistry clinic between 2004 and 2006. Height and weight were measured and used to calculate BMI. Deciduous dental caries experience was recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall mean BMI was 16.0 (SD = 2.0). Pacific Island children had a higher mean BMI (at 17.0) than NZ European, Maori, and Asian/Other children (15.7, 16.8, and 15.9 respectively; P < 0.05). The dmft ranged from 0 to 15, with a mean of 6.1 (SD = 3.8); 24% had dmft <3, and 38% had dmft >8. No significant association was found between the BMI and caries experience (P-value = 0.932).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was no association between BMI and dental caries experience in this convenient sample.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Giselle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: D'Mello
authors.forename: Leonard
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chia
authors.forename: Serena D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Hamilton
authors.forename: W Murray
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.forename: Bernadette K
authors.initials: BK
authors.lastname: Drummon
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D044466:Asian People; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000150:complications*; D003740:Dental Clinics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009520:New Zealand; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous; D044465:White People