title: A Cross-sectional Study of the Prevalence of Dental Caries among 12- to 15-year-old Overweight Schoolchildren.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Overweight and obesity are growing health-related problems worldwide, and it is currently the most prevalent nutritional disorder among children and adolescents. The objective of this study was to assess the association between overweight and dental caries among 12- to 15-year-old schoolchildren in Mangaluru district, Karnataka, India.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were obtained from 2000 school-going children aged 12 to 15 years. The children were categorized as overweight and normal-weight group by assessing the body mass index (BMI). Body mass index was categorized using the classification system given by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) and obtained in units of kg/m2. The dental caries was assessed by detection and was performed according to decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 2000 children examined, the mean BMI recorded was 26.87 ± 2.26 for the overweight children and 20.82 ± 1.48 for the normal-weight children. Even though the DMFT (3.90 ± 2.95) in the overweight children was slightly higher than the control group (3.36 ± 2.73), it was not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Within the confines of the present study, it can be concluded that there is no significant association between overweight and dental caries among the schoolchildren of Mangaluru district in Karnataka. Longitudinal studies are necessary to substantiate the possible relationships between dental caries and overweight in children. Knowledge of these relationships could lead to preventive health measures designed to reduce the prevalence of both obesity and dental caries.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Kannur Dental College, Kannur, Kerala, India, e-mail: ksucod@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Soni
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kottayi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry Yenepoya Dental College, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Sham S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Bhat
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry Yenepoya Dental College, Mangaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: K Sundeep
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Hegde
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Kannur Dental College, Kannur, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Faizal C
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Peedikayil
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Kannur Dental College, Kannur, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Chandru
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, AIKharj, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Sukumaran
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Anil
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence
keywords: Body mass index; Decayed; Dental caries; India; Obesity Overweight.; missing and filled teeth