Association between anthropometric measurements and dental caries in Turkish school children


KÖKSAL E., Tekçiçek M., YALÇIN S. S., Tuǧrul B., Yalçin S., PEKCAN A. G.

Central European Journal of Public Health, cilt.19, sa.3, ss.147-151, 2011 (Scopus) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 19 Sayı: 3
  • Basım Tarihi: 2011
  • Doi Numarası: 10.21101/cejph.a3648
  • Dergi Adı: Central European Journal of Public Health
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.147-151
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: Access to healthcare, General health insurance, Health status, Private health insurance, Public health
  • Lokman Hekim Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Aim: To evaluate the association between anthropometric measurements and dental caries in school children. Methods: The study was conducted on 245 primary school children (50.2% boys, 49.8% girls,), aged 5 to 9 years. The prevalence and severity of dental caries was measured using the decayed, missing or filled surfaces (dmfs, DMFS) and teeth (dmft, DMFT) indices. Results: Mean dmft indices in children for boys and girls were 5.5±3.92 and 5.0±3.64, respectively. The prevalence of children with dental caries (dmft ≥1) was 84.9%. The prevalence of children with body mass index (BMI) <-1SD and ≥+1SD was 15.9% and 22.9%, respectively. Dental caries were found in 89.7% of children with low body weight (including underweight and at risk for underweight) and in 66.1% of overweight-obese children (p<0.05). Similarly, high indices were detected significantly more often in children with low body weight (p<0.05). Height, weight, BMI and percent of fat mass were found to be negatively correlated with dmft indices (r:-0.141, p: 0.028; r:-0.171, p: 0.007; r:-0.139, p: 0.030; r:-0.158, p: 0.013, respectively). Conclusion: Children with low body weight have a higher risk of developing dental caries than overweight-obese children. For these reasons, the evaluation of nutritional status in children should be implemented in control programs for dental caries both on the community and individual levels. © National Institute of Public Health.