Dietary Intake and Prevalence of Dental Caries among Five-Year-Old Children in Urban and Rural Areas of Uasin-Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Dental caries is a major public health problem associated with diet and nutrition affecting 60-90% of children globally with the burden in both industrialized and less industrialized countries undergoing nutrition transition. The aim of this study was to assess the relation between the dietary intake and nutritional status on dental caries prevalence of 5-year-old school children in urban and rural areas of Uasin-Gishu County. In this study, 382 five year old children and their parents/caregivers were sampled from urban and rural schools in Uasin-Gishu County to participate in the study. Dental caries status was assessed based on the criteria proposed by WHO for oral health surveys. Structured questionnaires was used to gather information on demographic and socio-economic status. A quantitative food frequency questionnaire was used to collect data on dietary intake. Dietary intake data was analyzed using ENA for SMART computer programmes and the rest of the data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 21 (2007). The prevalence of dental caries stood at 39.3% with a mean dft of 1.55 and 60.7% being dental caries free. Children met their nutrient requirements for protein, vitamin C, calcium, and phosphorus, but did not meet the requirements for energy, folate, vitamin A, and iron. Many children from urban than rural areas consumed sweets/candies at 33.5% and 15.3% respectively. Children from urban areas (288) had the highest mean dft of 1.83±1.37 while those from rural areas (154) had a mean dft score of 1.16±1.13. This was significantly different (p<0.05). Overweight was higher in the urban population compared to the rural population at 13.64% and 8.96% respectively. The prevalence of underweight was higher in rural areas at 10.7%, stunting at 14.6% and wasting at 6.8%. There is inadequate intake of Energy, Vitamin A and Iron in the diet consumed by the 5-year-old which might be contributing to dental caries prevalence both in the urban and rural areas of Uasin – Gishu County, Kenya. Children should be fed on nutrient rich foods and cariogenic foods should be consumed occasionally.

A Review on Maternal Parenting, Child's Growth Stunting, and Oral Health

“…2,42 This finding was contrary to the high prevalence of stunting, which can also be found in this review. [21][22][23][24][25][26]30,31,35,40,43 Another optimal breastfeeding in-dicator has its role in linking this phenomenon. Prolonged breastfeeding is a complex behavior that cannot be separated from other aspects such as good frequency, method, and time.…”

“…Six studies (n ¼ 6) found poor initiation and diversity of complementary foods. 18,27,30,32,35,37 Five studies (n ¼ 5) found high sugar consumption, with the highest prevalence rates from Athavale et al (52.4%). 7,20,21,24,34 ►Table 4 shows that mothers had shown poor complementary feeding practices and high intake of sugary foods for their children.…”

“…7,[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] Seven (n ¼ 7) studies were from Africa: one each (n ¼ 1) from Tanzania, Nigeria, Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda, and two articles (n ¼ 2) were from Ethiopia. 21,[29][30][31][32][33][34] Five (n ¼ 5) studies were conducted in the American continent: one each ( ¼ 1) in El Salvador and Mexico, and three (n ¼ 3) in Ecuador. [35][36][37][38][39] Most of the selected studies (n ¼ 18) followed a cross-sectional study design, while two studies (n ¼ 2) used a cohort study design, and one study (n ¼ 1) used a randomized controlled trial.…”