Does Growth Stunting Correlate with Oral Health in Children?: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Growth stunting is when children tend to be shorter than their peers through the World Health Organization child growth standard measurement. The condition may affect the development of the brain and other parts of the body, including the oral cavity, which manifests in oral hygiene and overall oral health. This systematic approach literature study aimed to evaluate the correlation between growth stunting and oral health in children. This study was conducted by using a literature review method with a systematic approach by searching for articles related to research topics on PubMed and Google Scholar. The search was adjusted to the inclusion category, which is research that discusses malnutrition and oral health published between 2010 and 2020—research conducted on boys and girls—from birth to 18 years. The exclusion categories used were articles that did not discuss growth stunting and oral health, and grey literature was excluded. The selection of articles was carried out by using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach and resulted in 10 selected articles with details as follows: the correlation between growth stunting and oral health in three articles. A high plaque index in growth stunting children was found in two articles, and a decrease in saliva composition in growth stunting children was also found in two articles. Four articles showed a relationship between growth stunting and salivary flow rate. Lastly, one article showed the relationship between growth stunting and the incidence of dental caries. Despite the limitation of the review, the correlation between growth stunting and overall oral health in children can be seen through the oral hygiene index as moderate to low, high plaque index, decreased salivary flow rate, salivary composition, and dental caries in children with growth stunting.

Growth Stunting Implication in Children: A Review on Primary Tooth Eruption

“…1 Growth stunting in toddlers can affect the eruption time of primary teeth and increase the risk of caries. 6 The results of the assessment of the study on the age of appearance of the primary teeth in children with SS showed that the deciduous teeth appeared in children with SS later than in children with NS and much later than in children with TS. These results were obtained from research conducted by Shaweesh and Al-Batayneh in children from 1 to 33 months of age in Jordan who were grouped into three height groups based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): The United States height-forage growth charts.…”

“…4 During development, malnutrition can affect oral structures. 5,6 Lack of nutrients can cause damage to the enamel which contains higher levels of acidogenic bacteria so that it can facilitate the formation of caries. Nutritional deficiencies can also harm the quantity and quality of saliva, can affect the process of tooth eruption and tooth loss, and can affect the integrity of the soft tissues in the oral cavity.…”

Neonatal stunting and early childhood caries: A mini-review

“…However, malnutrition that involves a lack of protein-energy also increases the risk of salivary gland dysfunction and enamel hypoplasia, which eventually causes caries in the primary teeth of children ( 65 ). The nutritional status of children in the first thousand days of life is related to dental and oral health ( 66 , 67 ).…”

Reviewing Nutritional Status in Children with Severe Early Childhood Caries

“…Wasting and stunting are associated with the risk of developing enamel defects and increased plaque accumulation. [6,7] Another study shows that caries causing pain and resulting with tooth loss can affect a child's ability to eat, can disrupt his/her sleep time, and can cause discomfort. So, nutritional status and ECC may have a two-way correlation.…”