Relationship between body mass index with eruption of third molar teeth

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study is to investigate the relationship between the nutritional status and the permanent eruption of the third molar teeth aged 13-26 years. Introduction: It is known that chronology of dental development is less variable than the bone development and the method applied for this particular period of life is a reliable indicator of age. Though eruption of teeth may be affected by dietary variation, the eruption time for teeth are fairly constant. Materials and methods: It is a cross-sectional prospective study conducted among the people aged 13-26 years through a, questionnaire over 100 participants. Results: A total of 51% male and 49% female were participated in this study. Out of 25 participants of complete third molar eruption, majority 52% (13) participants were belonging to female. In this study, the percentage of complete third molar eruption among the participants with different Body Mass Index (BMI) categories like underweight, normal and overweight were 7, 16 and 2 respectively. Conclusion: These findings suggest a relationship between nutritional status with eruption of third permanent molars. As the complete eruption of third molar is less with underweight and obese individuals, initiatives should be undertaken for health promotion among the common people regarding oral health and healthy eating.