IADR Abstract Archives
Associations Between Child Height and Weight and Caries Levels
Objectives: To establish the existence and directions of any associations between measures of child body mass index (BMI) with caries levels using individual measures of each as derived from national surveys in England.
Methods: The height and weight measurements of five-year-old children arising from the National Child Measurement Programme were linked with the same children's caries measures which were established via the Public Health England (PHE) National dental epidemiology survey. Standardised methods of recording the height and weight of children and of visual recording of caries at dentinal level in a sample of five-year-old children were applied. Secure data linkage between the two data sets enabled comparison at individual level of caries levels and BMI.
Results: Records for 67,186 children were linked. An association between categories based on BMI Z scores and caries levels was established whereby children of low BMI were found to have higher caries prevalence, severity (27.3%, 1.2 d3mft) and extent (4.4 d3mft among those with any caries) compared to children of healthy BMI (22.5%, 0.7 d3mft, 3.3 d3mft ). Children with very high BMI had a higher prevalence but the same severity and extent as children of healthy BMI (27.6%, 0.9 d3mft, 3.2 d3mft).
Deprivation and ethnicity were confounding factors; underweight children from an Asian background had the highest prevalence and severity of caries compared with Asian children in other weight categories. Underweight children from the most deprived background also showed the highest prevalence and severity of caries compared with those from other categories.
Conclusions: There is some association between child height and weight and caries levels whereby children of low BMI were found to have a greater likelihood of experiencing caries and more severe attack compared with children of healthy weight. Caries prevalence among children of very high BMI is higher but severity is the same. Ethnic background and deprivation are factors of relevance in this association.
Methods: The height and weight measurements of five-year-old children arising from the National Child Measurement Programme were linked with the same children's caries measures which were established via the Public Health England (PHE) National dental epidemiology survey. Standardised methods of recording the height and weight of children and of visual recording of caries at dentinal level in a sample of five-year-old children were applied. Secure data linkage between the two data sets enabled comparison at individual level of caries levels and BMI.
Results: Records for 67,186 children were linked. An association between categories based on BMI Z scores and caries levels was established whereby children of low BMI were found to have higher caries prevalence, severity (27.3%, 1.2 d3mft) and extent (4.4 d3mft among those with any caries) compared to children of healthy BMI (22.5%, 0.7 d3mft, 3.3 d3mft ). Children with very high BMI had a higher prevalence but the same severity and extent as children of healthy BMI (27.6%, 0.9 d3mft, 3.2 d3mft).
Deprivation and ethnicity were confounding factors; underweight children from an Asian background had the highest prevalence and severity of caries compared with Asian children in other weight categories. Underweight children from the most deprived background also showed the highest prevalence and severity of caries compared with those from other categories.
Conclusions: There is some association between child height and weight and caries levels whereby children of low BMI were found to have a greater likelihood of experiencing caries and more severe attack compared with children of healthy weight. Caries prevalence among children of very high BMI is higher but severity is the same. Ethnic background and deprivation are factors of relevance in this association.