Exploring the Association between Dental Caries, Obesity and Sensory Characteristics in Students Living in Southern Brazil

Abstract

Objective: To investigate possible associations between dental caries, obesity, sweet taste preference and sensitivity to bitter taste in children and adolescents. Material and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study with a sample of 462 schoolchildren aged 6-15 years enrolled in public schools of Pato Branco, PR. Their oral conditions were examined by adopting the criteria of the World Health Organization. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric criteria, adopting the reference standards of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. To determine the taste sensitivity, sweet taste preference and sensitivity to phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) tests were applied. In the statistical analysis of data, Chi-square, Mann Whitney and Kruskal Wallis tests were used, adopting significance level of 5%. Results: Low dental caries severity levels were observed among students. Overweight was diagnosed in 24.4% of students. The lowest DMFT index was recorded among obese individuals (p <0.05). High levels of sweet taste preference were identified. No statistically significant association was detected between the sensory characteristics assessed and the occurrence of dental caries and obesity in the study sample. Conclusion: The high levels of sweet taste preference, as well as the dental caries and overweight rates observed, although with no statistically significant associations, highlight the need for intersectoral interventions with a focus on healthy eating habits in order to reduce the risk and incidence of chronic diseases in this population.

Association Between Nutritional Status and Dental Caries in Brazilian Teenagers with and without Risk for Eating Disorders

“…Although the vast majority of adolescents with high BMI in this study have presented caries experience (83.3%), there was no statistically significant association between these variables, unlike other Brazilian study that showed lower DMFT index in a obese children and adolescent group [34]. Another study that examined the relationship between BMI and dental caries also found no association between these variables [29], although its sample included both genders and different age group (10-12 years).…”

Overweight/obesity and dental caries in Brazilian children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Tw e n t y -t h r e e s t u d i e s t e s t e d t h e association bet ween overweight and dental caries. 12,36,29,30,32,34,35,37,39,43,44,47,48,52,53,[55][56][57][58][59][60][61]66 Of these, 21 found no association between the two variables investigated in children/adolescents. 12,36,29,30,32,34,37,39,[43][44][45]48,[51][52][53][56][57][58][59][60]66 Three studies concluded that overweight children/ adolescents were less likely to exhibit dental caries than their normal weight peers.…”

“…12,36,29,30,32,34,35,37,39,43,44,47,48,52,53,[55][56][57][58][59][60][61]66 Of these, 21 found no association between the two variables investigated in children/adolescents. 12,36,29,30,32,34,37,39,[43][44][45]48,[51][52][53][56][57][58][59][60]66 Three studies concluded that overweight children/ adolescents were less likely to exhibit dental caries than their normal weight peers. 47,55,61 Obesity vs. dental caries Twenty-three studies tested the association between obesity and dental caries.…”

“…Thirty-seven cross-sectional studies, three cohorts, and one case-control study were included. The Brazilian cities and regions where the studies had been performed were: Camboriú, Londrina, 29,30 Porto Alegre, [31][32][33] Pato Branco, 34 Pelotas, 35,36 Santa Cruz do Sul, 37 Florianópolis, 38 Califórnia 39 and Curitiba 13 in the South; Diadema, Juiz de For a, 41 Piracicaba, [42][43][44] Araraquara, 45 São Paulo, 46,47 Bauru, 48,49 Dois Córregos, 50 Araçatuba, 51 Nova Friburgo, 52 Ribeirão Preto, 53 Diamantina, 54 and Alfenas 55 in the Southeast; Goiânia 56 in the Mid-west; Acrelândia, 57 Manaus, [58][59][60] and Barcelos 61 in the North; Carauru, Cabo de Santo Agostinho, 63 Campina Grande, 64,65 Teresina, 66 and São Luis 15 in the Northeast. The studies were published between 2008 and 2021.…”

“…Nutritional status was classified based on BMI in all the studies, and the following reference curves were used to define obesity in children: National Center for Health Statistics, 5,46,62 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NCHS/CDC), 28,29,34,42,53,63 International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), 41 WHO/20 06, 12,15,30,36,40,46,48,51,54,55,59 WHO/2007, 31,34,35,38,43,44,47,49,51,53,55-57, 60,61,64,66 Hammer et al, criteria, 52 Conde and Monteiro 37 and Cole et al 33 Six studies 28,29,34,42,62,64 assessed child and adolescent overweight and obesity using the BMI for age and gender percentiles from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2000 (CDC 2000) growth charts for children and adolescents from 2 to 20 years old (overweight: ≥ 85 th percentile < 95 th percentile, and obesity: ≥ 95 th percentile), while one paper 52 used similar parameters based on Hammer et al Ten studies used BMI for age and gender according to WHO for children younger than five years old, expressed by percentiles (overweight: ≥ 85 th percentile < 97 th percentile, and obesity: ≥ 97 th percentile) 30,48,51,54,55 or by Z-score (overweight: Z-score > 1, and obesity: Z-score > 2). [14][15][16]40,…”