The relationship between tooth eruption and obesity in children

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the eruption of permanent teeth and obesity among 12-year-old children in a population-based study. Method: A random sample of 668 12-year-old school children in Hong Kong SAR, China was recruited. The number of erupted permanent teeth was recorded. Body height, body weight, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness (TRSKF) were measured to assess the adiposity statuses [weight-height ratio (W/H) and body mass index (BMI) for general obesity; WC and waist-hip ratio (WHR) for central obesity; and TRSKF for peripheral obesity]. The relationships between the number of erupted permanent teeth and W/H, BMI, WC, WHR, TRSKF were examined in bivariate analysis and ANCOVA.

Result: The response rate was 76.9% (n = 514/668). Two hundred and forty-six (47.9%) children each had 28 teeth erupted. The second molar had the highest rate of non-eruption, followed by the second premolar, canine, first premolar, lateral incisor, central incisor, and first molar. ANCOVA analyses identified that all the adiposity indices (W/H, BMI, WC, WHR, and TRSKF) were positively associated with the number of erupted permanent teeth in the unadjusted and adjusted models, accounting for socio-demographic factors (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: The number of erupted permanent teeth was positively associated with obesity (general, central, and peripheral) among a population-based sample of 12-year-old children in Hong Kong. (The work described in this abstract was fully supported by a grant from the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, Project No.781112).

This abstract is based on research that was funded entirely or partially by an outside source: The Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China, Project No.781112