Is obesity associated to dental caries in Brazilian schoolchildren?

Abstract

Is obesity associated to dental caries in Brazilian schoolchildren?Abstract: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between dental caries and weight status, and between dental caries and physical activity in Brazilian schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years. A multi-stage sample of children enrolled in 20 private and public schools in 2010 in Pelotas, Southern Brazil, were invited to participate in the study. Socioeconomic data were collected from parents, and data regarding children characteristics were collected from children using a questionnaire and anthropometric measures. The Body Mass Index was obtained, and children were classified as overweight/obese considering age and sex. Dental examinations were performed to assess the presence of gingival inflammation, dental caries prevalence (DMFT≥1) and dental caries experience (mean DMFT). Multivariate Poisson Regression was used to assess factors associated with dental caries prevalence and experience. A total of 1,210 children were included in the study. Dental caries prevalence was 32.4% (95% CI 29.7-35.2), while the mean DMFT was 0.64 (± SD 1.00). Children who practiced less than 300 minutes per week of physical activity and overweigh/obese children had lower prevalence of dental caries, while children with obesity or overweight presented lower dental caries experience. Obesity/overweight and physical activity level presented an inverse relationship with dental caries. Longitudinal studies investigating the complexity of this relationship are required.

Overweight/obese children are associated with lower caries experience than normal‐weight children/adolescents

“…We observed that compared with NW children ( P < .05), OW children had, in general, lower caries experience in primary dentition and global dentition at both ICDAS thresholds. These findings confirm previous data using ICDAS criteria and WHO criteria, in different populations. Ferraz et al explain this higher caries prevalence due to the higher number of primary teeth present in the non‐obese group.…”

“…Given the above, it is reasonable to infer that OW children have fewer chances to develop dental caries because their saliva contains higher levels of IgA‐s. Additionally, the lower caries experience in OW children could be explained by the absent of thick biofilm visible on their tooth surface (evaluated by CAMBRA) and differences in reporting toothbrushing frequency or reflecting toothbrushing skills/effectiveness for oral biofilm control, as reported by Jurgensen et al Possibly, the inverse relationship between BMI and dental caries experience might be associated with physiological differences between healthy and obese children/adolescents, corroborating with Fernández et al, suggesting that a high frequency ingestion of carbohydrates could contribute to caries disease installation with no impact on children weight.…”

“…Studies linking overweight/obesity and caries experience in children aged 6‐12 years have proved contradictory so far, with their results including positive associations, no associations, and inverse associations . A recent systematic literature review demonstrated a lack of significant differences in dental caries prevalence between abnormal‐ and normal‐weight children and adolescents, in both dentitions.…”

Obesity and dental caries among South Brazilian schoolchildren: a 2.5-year longitudinal study

“…Corroborating these findings, Narksawat et al 11 showed that normal weight Thai adolescents were more likely to had a DMFT≥1 than overweight/obese individuals (OR = 1.94, 95%CI = 1.25-3.00, p = 0.004). A recent study by Fernández et al 12 conducted in Brazil that evaluated 1,210 schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years, found lower dental caries in obese and overweight children. In order to further explore these issues, and owning to fact that a trend towards lower DFMS was observed with increasing BMI categories, an exploratory analysis using BMI-for-age Z-scores as a continuous variable was carried out.…”

“…Whereas most cross-sectional studies have shown a lack of association between obesity and dental caries, 4,5,6 a direct 7,8,9 and even an inverse association have been reported. 10,11,12 Regarding the impact of obesity on the incidence of dental caries, a systematic review of longitudinal studies by Li et al 13 showed conflicting evidence. Most studies analyzed the effect of birth weight on caries incidence 14,15 commonly focusing on the association between malnutrition and caries.…”