Dental caries and malnutrition are costly public health problems affecting a large number of children worldwide. Both are multifactorial conditions that may share common risk factors, including inadequate diet and low socioeconomic background. 1 The relationship between dental caries and socioeconomic status, however, is still under debate, mainly in middle-income countries. 2 Malnutrition is a broad term characterized by the imbalance, deficiency, or excess between energy expenditure and nutrient intake. Harmful eating habits are crucial in determining malnutrition and related diseases. For instance, free sugars intake has a consistent dose-response relationship with dental caries. 3 Undernutrition and
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