title: Higher body mass index associated with severe early childhood caries.
abstract: Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) is an aggressive form of tooth decay in preschool children affecting quality of life and nutritional status. The purpose was to determine whether there is an association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and S-ECC.
  
  
  
  Children with S-ECC were recruited on the day of their slated dental surgery under general anesthesia. Age-matched, caries-free controls were recruited from the community. All children were participating in a larger study on nutrition and S-ECC. Analysis was restricted to children ≥ 24 months of age. Parents completed a questionnaire and heights and weights were recorded. BMI scores and age and gender adjusted BMI z-scores and percentiles were calculated. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was significant.
  
  
  
  Two hundred thirty-five children were included (141 with S-ECC and 94 caries-free). The mean age was 43.3 ± 12.8 months and 50.2 % were male. Overall, 34.4 % of participants were overweight or obese. Significantly more children with S-ECC were classified as overweight or obese when compared to caries-free children (p = 0.038) and had significantly higher mean BMI z-scores than caries-free children (0.78 ± 1.26 vs. 0.22 ± 1.36, p = 0.002). Those with S-ECC also had significantly higher BMI percentiles (69.0 % ± 29.2 vs. 56.8 % ± 31.7, p = 0.003). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that BMI z-scores were significantly and independently associated with S-ECC and annual household income as were BMI percentiles.
  
  
  
  Children with S-ECC in our sample had significantly higher BMI z-scores than caries-free peers.
authors.affiliation: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.affiliation: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. robert.schroth@umanitoba.ca.|The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada. robert.schroth@umanitoba.ca.|Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Winnipeg, Canada. robert.schroth@umanitoba.ca.|Department of Preventive Dental Science, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Manitoba, 507-715 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P4, Canada. robert.schroth@umanitoba.ca.|Department of Pediatrics & Child Health, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, 507-715 McDermot Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P4, Canada. robert.schroth@umanitoba.ca.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Schroth
authors.affiliation: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.|The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeremy A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.affiliation: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.|The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Aaron B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Yaffe
authors.affiliation: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.|The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Betty-Anne
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Mittermuller
authors.affiliation: The University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.|The Children's Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada.|Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, Winnipeg, Canada.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A C
authors.initials: EAC
authors.lastname: Sellers
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Body mass index; Early childhood caries; Preschool, Child