Association between early childhood caries and malnutrition in a sub-urban population in Nigeria

Abstract

BackgroundTo determine the association between malnutrition and early childhood caries (ECC) in children resident in sub-urban, Nigeria.MethodsThis study was a subset of a larger cross-sectional study the data of which was generated through a household survey conducted in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. The study’s explanatory variable was malnutrition (underweight, overweight, wasting and stunting) and the outcome variable was ECC. Poisson regression analysis was used to determine the association between ECC and malnutrition. Variables (sex, frequency of sugar consumption, maternal knowledge of oral hygiene, oral hygiene status) associated with ECC in the primary study were adjusted for to obtain the adjusted prevalence ratio (APR).ResultsOf the 370 children, 20 (5.41%) were underweight, 20 (5.41%) were overweight, 67 (18.11%) were wasting, 120 (32.43%) were stunted and 18 (4.86%) had ECC. Factors associated with ECC were being stunted, underweight, overweight and fair oral hygiene. The prevalence of ECC was lower in children who were stunted (APR: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.03–0.69; p = 0.02), almost seven times higher in children who were overweight (APR: 6.88; 95% CI: 1.83–25.85; p < 0.001), and predictively absent in children who were underweight (APR: 0; 95% CI: 0–0; p < 0.001) when compared with children who had normal weight. Non-significant risk indicators for ECC included consuming sugar between meals three times a day or more, having low socioeconomic status and being female.ConclusionsFor this study population, the indicators of malnutrition – being stunted, underweight, overweight - and fair oral hygiene were risk indicators for ECC. The frequency of sugar consumption was not a significant risk indicator when malnutrition was included as an explanatory variable for ECC in the study population.

Association between nutritional status and early childhood caries risk profile in a suburban Nigeria community

“…The finding of lack of association between nutritional status and ECC differs from that of a prior analysis 26 conducted in the same study location. The prior study's data were collected in August 2014 using the same sampling technique as this study, and the result indicated that underweight, overweight, and stunting were risk indicators for ECC.…”

“…Studies on malnutrition and caries in Nigeria were conducted in children 5 years and older 26 Studies on malnutrition and ECC in Africa, a continent with high prevalence of malnutrition, are sparse and showed no association between the two. 26 The association between ECC and undernutrition had, however, been reported in other countries with high prevalence of malnutrition in countries in Asia such as Ecuador and India unlike the findings in this study. 10,13 In resource-rich countries where malnutrition is not a problem, higher prevalence of severe ECC is associated with micronutrient deficiencies vitamin D, calcium, albumin iron deficiency, and anaemia.…”

Associations between Child Snack and Beverage Consumption, Severe Dental Caries, and Malnutrition in Nepal

“…There have been mixed findings on the association between severe caries and nutritional status. Studies have demonstrated an association between severe caries and malnutrition in some low-income contexts, with caries contributing to mouth pain and chronic inflammation which disrupt normal eating, sleep, and growth [ 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 ]; associations with obesity in high-income contexts due to shared dietary risk factors [ 34 , 35 ]; and no associations in other studies [ 36 ]. There is limited research on these relationships in Nepali populations.…”

Association Between Environmental Health, Ecosystem Vitality, and Early Childhood Caries

“…The link between the environment and ECC can be explained through biological and/or behavioral pathways. Unhealthy environments increase the risk for malnutrition (2) and, thus, possibly ECC (22). These links are reinforced by economic influences that increase the risk for health problems, including ECC (known to be a disease of the socially disadvantaged) in persons who are socially disadvantaged.…”