Overweight and obesity are not associated with dental caries among 12-year-old South Brazilian schoolchildren.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the association between weight status and dental caries among 12-year-old Brazilian schoolchildren.


METHODS
This cross-sectional study was carried out in Porto Alegre using a multistage probability sampling strategy to draw a representative sample of schoolchildren attending public and private schools. Data on demographics, socioeconomic status, oral hygiene habits, anthropometrics, and dental caries were collected. Overweight and obesity were defined according to WHO categories for BMI (body mass index)-for-age Z-scores. Survey Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between weight status and dental caries. Estimates were adjusted for gender, socioeconomic status, and brushing frequency. Prevalence ratios (PR), rate ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported.


RESULTS
One thousand five hundred and twenty-eight of 1837 eligible schoolchildren were examined. Prevalence of overweight and obesity were 22.15% (95% CI = 20.59-23.72) and 13.61% (95% CI = 11.44-15.78), respectively. Caries experience was observed in 55.23% (95% CI = 45.26-65.19) of children. Schoolchildren presented, on average, 1.39 (95% CI = 1.07-1.71) decayed, missing or filled teeth. No significant differences in caries experience or extent were observed among BMI groups. After adjusting for important cofactors, weight status was not associated with caries prevalence (overweight, PR = 0.99; 95% CI = 0.89-1.10; obese, PR = 1.00; 95% CI = 0.87-1.16) or caries extent (overweight, RR = 0.91; 95% CI = 0.74-1.12; obese, RR = 0.86; 95% CI = 0.72-1.04).


CONCLUSIONS
Our findings indicate that overweight and obese adolescents should not be regarded as at higher risk of dental caries in this population.
Department of Social and Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. luanaseal@gmail.com
Luana Severo
LS
Alves
Cristiano
C
Susin
Nailê
N
Damé-Teixeira
Marisa
M
Maltz
D001827:Body Height; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009910:Oral Hygiene / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors; D012923:Social Class; D014099:Toothbrushing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data