The association of body mass index with dental caries in an Iranian sample of children

BACKGROUND: Caries is an infectious disease that is induced by the diet. Despite its decline in all age groups on a worldwide basis, it is still a serious public health problem in children and its control should be a priority. It has been demonstrated that dental caries can gradually reduce children's weight gain, which may be reversed after complete oral rehabilitation. The main aim of this study was to examine the relationship between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) in a sample of young children in Iran. METHODS: A random sample of 420 children aged 6 years was examined for dental caries using WHO standard diagnostic criteria. Decayed, missing and filled of primary teeth (dmft) and permanent teeth (DMFT) were recorded. The children's weight and height were measured using standard digital scales by two trained examiner and their BMI were calculated BMI and dental caries categoris association was tested by chi- square analysis. RESULTS: The mean decayed, missing and filled teeth score of the study population was 4.70 +/- 3.4. Only 9% of the children were underweight and 6% were obese when they were compared with WHO standard of BMI for children with the same age. There was a significant association (P = 0.04) between BMI and dental caries categories. CONCLUSIONS: An association was observed between DMFT and BMI of participants. The relationship should be investigated by further longitudinal studies.