Birth Weight and Caries in the Permanent Dentition of Children

An association between low birth weight (LBW) and caries in children has been suggested in previous investigations. Objective: Using decayed, missing, and filled permanent surfaces (DMFS), socioeconomic, racial-ethnic, and reported dietary intake data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994 (NHANES III), this study examined the caries-low birth weight (LBW) association. Methods: Publicly available data were analyzed for 1,597 males and 1,584 females 6-11 years of age; a weighted count of 21,685,020. Covariates included body mass index, maternal age at birth, parent's education, family income, maternal cigarette smoking during pregnancy, use of neonatal intensive care, dietary intake data, and reported birth weight. SAS 9.1 statistical procedures were used to adjust for the complex sample design. Bivariate and multivariate negative binomial regression (GENMOD) was used to test associations between DMFS and covariates with and effect measures reported as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) for the multivariate model. Results: A DMFS of zero was recorded for 73.5% of the study sample. In the bivariate models, age (p<.001), being Mexican-American (p=.004); meat (p=.002) and bottled water (p<.001) intake were associated with higher DMFS scores while dairy (p=.023) and fruit (p=.010) intake were associated with lower DMFS scores. In the multivariate model, only age (p<.001), being Mexican-American (AOR=1.35; 95% CI:1.10-1.66), and drinking bottled water at home (AOR=1.94; 1.48-2.54) were significantly associated with higher DMFS scores. Conclusion: The association between DMFS and LBW and diet, except for drinking bottled water, was not supported. Educational initiatives should be instituted to address caries risk among children drinking bottled water rather than water from fluoridated community sources.