Dental Caries Severity and Nutritional Status of Nigerian Preschool Children

Abstract

Introduction: Malnutrition in children is one of the most prevalent global health challenges, and malnourished children have a higher risk of death from childhood diseases. Early childhood caries (ECC) is the most common chronic disease of childhood. Complications from ECC such as pain, loss of tooth/teeth, and infection can undermine a child’s nutrition and growth. Aim: This study aims to evaluate the severity of decay, missing, and filled tooth (dmft) by nutritional status using the z scores of the anthropometric measurements: height for age (HFA), weight for age (WFA), weight for height (WFH), and body mass index for age (BMIA) among children with ECC in Nigeria. Study Design: This is a cross-sectional study conducted in 5 local government areas (LGAs) in Lagos State, Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used. Results: A total of 273 cases of ECC were included in the analyses (mean age 4.19 ± 0.96 y). Overall, the mean dmft was 3.04 ± 2.28, and most (96%) were accounted for by untreated decay. The distribution of dmft within the different z score categories of BMIA (<–3 = severely wasted, –2 to –3 = wasted, –2 to +2 = normal, +2 to +3 = overweight and >+3 = obese) showed the highest dmft scores among the combined severely wasted and wasted groups, lowest among children with normal z scores, and intermediate in the overweight and obese groups. There was a significant negative correlation between BMIA z score, WFH z score, and dmft ( r = −0.181, P < 0.05 and r = −0.143, P < 0.05, respectively). However, the correlations between HFA z score, WFA z score, and dmft were positive but not significant ( r = 0.048, P = 0.44 and r = 0.022, P = 0.77, respectively). Conclusion: Our study showed an increased severity of dental caries among severely wasted or wasted children with ECC compared to those of normal or overweight. Knowledge Transfer Statement: The results from this study will raise awareness among clinicians and policy makers on the need for a primary prevention program for early childhood caries in countries with high burden of malnutrition and limited resources. Also, it will help draw the attention of clinicians to the caries status of malnourished children that can be managed to improve the nutritional outcomes.

Dental Caries: Epidemiological & Public Health Approach among Children of District Nowshera Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Pakistan

“…Furthermore, in our study; 73.56% of parents toothbrush their teeth whereas it was 91.3% among parents in study of Obregaon et al, 2019 [16]. Furthermore, in study of Olatosi et al, 2022;46.5%; 3.3%; 50.2% and 42.64% of dental caries children had prevalence of breast feeding; bottle feeding; mixed feeding; and feeding during night time; while in our study the prevalence was 73.56%; 20%; 92.2% and 83.39% respectively [11].…”

“…Moreover, in study of Alraqiq et al, 2021; 66.7% were employed [1]. In our study; 47.46% of parents had education above secondary/ A-1 level; whereas in study of Alraqiq et al, 2021; 68.41% of fathers and 75.4% of mothers were educated; and in study of Olatosi et al, 2022; only 26.75% parents were educated [11] [1].…”

“…SPSS version 23.0 & Microsoft Office Software was used for data entry and analysis; and results were showed table forms. In our study, among the studied children; 54% were male; whereas in international studies of of Shi et al, 2022 and Olatosi et al, 2020; revealed 52.77% and 47.6% frequency of male children among the study participants [10] [11]. Moreover, in our study; 79.32% of parents having dental caries were literate; whereas in study of Alhabdan et al, 2018; 73.9% of children parents were literate [3].…”

“…Children oral health behavioral practices like lack of mixed foods, and frequent sweet beverages were associated with dental caries and thus affects growth and quality of children life [11] [13] [14] . The WHO estimates that 60-90 percent of schoolchildren globally suffer from dental caries, with Asians and Latin Americans having the highest rates [15] [7].…”

Early Childhood Caries and Nutritional Status of Children: A Review

“…[19][20][21] It also has been observed that the presence of malnutrition may also affect the salivary composition and flow of children, consequently leading to more caries. 22 On the other hand, there is also evidence that poor nutritional status such as being underweight, stunted, and malnourished might result in the progress of dental caries, although not all studies have found an association between poor nutritional status and ECC. [23][24][25] However, the association of ECC with nutritional status, eating habits, breastfeeding, bottle-feeding, vitamin D status, and iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) have not been reviewed, altogether.…”