Relationship between caries and BMI among the "Children of 1997"

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) among the “Children of 1997”, a birth cohort in Hong Kong. METHODS: A random sample of 668, 12-year-old children from the ‘Children of 1997' birth cohort from 18 districts in Hong Kong was recruited. Clinical assessment for dental caries was conducted according to the WHO criteria (1997). Dental caries was recorded as decayed, missing, filled surface (DMFS). Anthropometric measurements of body height and body weight were performed in order to calculate the BMI (BMI = weight ÷ height2). The standardization of measurement techniques in anthropometry according to Lohman et al. 1988 was used for the collection of the anthropometric data. The children's weight status was classified by their BMI score according to the Hong Kong Growth Survey (HKGS) 1993 charts. The association between dental caries and BMI was then investigated through univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: No significant difference, in mean DMFS, was found between underweight, normal weight and overweight children (P > 0.05). However, among the underweight and normal weight children (n = 432), there was a statistically significant difference in mean BMI between the children with and without active dental caries (P = 0.009). The results of logistic regression analysis showed a significant association in the dental caries status according to the children's BMI score (OR = 1.25 > 1, 95% CI = 1.05- 1.48, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Among the “Children of 1997” birth cohort at 12 years of age, dental caries was positively associated with BMI within the underweight and normal weight groups.