IADR Abstract Archives
An Examination of Food Insecurity, Obesity and Pediatric Oral Health
Objectives: Food insecurity (a lack of consistent access to sources of nutrition) is a complex public health issue with many negative outcomes (e.g., obesity, malnutrition). Food insecurity is compounded by socioeconomic factors like race/ethnicity, income, and presence of children in the household. Recent studies of food insecurity in Chicago show large racial disparities. Our project examines the effects of food insecurity on diet and nutrition, and how this in turn affects oral health.
Methods: 10-12 year old patients UIC’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry were enrolled (n=34). We collected data on height, weight, socioeconomic status (SES), caries, plaque index, frequency of tooth brushing, diet, food insecurity, and gingival crevicular fluid and saliva samples. Our questionnaire data was used to divide our sample into Low, Middle, and High SES.
Results: Our preliminary data includes: 14 males and 10 females; 46% low SES, 34% middle SES and 19% high SES; 33% high BMI, 67% normal BMI. Our results indicate that high BMI children have higher plaque scores (p<0.001). However, our initial findings do not show an association between food insecurity and SES status (p=0.2307) or BMI (p=0.3012).
Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a potential link between obesity and poor oral hygiene. We do not yet have sufficient samples to determine whether food insecurity is associated with SES or BMI. The next stage of this project will involve larger samples and whole genome DNA sequencing of the oral microbiome to measure microbiome diversity and the prevalence of specific bacterial specie to elucidate the role of the oral microbiome in the relationship between food insecurity and health outcomes like BMI and dental caries.
Methods: 10-12 year old patients UIC’s Department of Pediatric Dentistry were enrolled (n=34). We collected data on height, weight, socioeconomic status (SES), caries, plaque index, frequency of tooth brushing, diet, food insecurity, and gingival crevicular fluid and saliva samples. Our questionnaire data was used to divide our sample into Low, Middle, and High SES.
Results: Our preliminary data includes: 14 males and 10 females; 46% low SES, 34% middle SES and 19% high SES; 33% high BMI, 67% normal BMI. Our results indicate that high BMI children have higher plaque scores (p<0.001). However, our initial findings do not show an association between food insecurity and SES status (p=0.2307) or BMI (p=0.3012).
Conclusions: Our study demonstrates a potential link between obesity and poor oral hygiene. We do not yet have sufficient samples to determine whether food insecurity is associated with SES or BMI. The next stage of this project will involve larger samples and whole genome DNA sequencing of the oral microbiome to measure microbiome diversity and the prevalence of specific bacterial specie to elucidate the role of the oral microbiome in the relationship between food insecurity and health outcomes like BMI and dental caries.