Relationship between dental caries and adherence to Mediterranean diet in a population of children

Background: Dental caries is a multifactorial infectious disease which represents an important health problem worldwide. The aim of the present study was to establish the relationship between dental caries and adherence to the Mediterranean diet through the KIDMED questionnaire in a population of 3-9 year old children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of 268 Valencian children aged 3 to 9. First of all, questionnaire KIDMED was filled out by every patient/caregiver to determine the adherence of every patient to the Mediterranean diet. Afterwards, a clinical exploration of the temporary teeth was carried out using dmf and dmfs indexes. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis were performed using Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: 63,4% of the studied population presented caries. The dmf and dmfs indexes obtained were 0,234 and 0,098 respectively. The mean value of the KIDMED index was 7,116 showing values from -1 to 11. Patients were classified as follows: High adherence to Mediterranean diet (47,4%), medium adherence (47%) and low adherence (5,6%). A statistically significant relationship was also found between dmf and dmfs indexes and a low adherence to the Mediterranean diet (p=0,000). Conclusions: A direct association was observed between dental caries in children and the low adherence to the Mediterranean diet.