Association between Sweet Food Consumption Behaviors and Dental Caries

Objectives: 1) To investigate the sweet food consumption behaviors, and 2) to determine the association between food consumption behaviors and dental caries prevalence in Thai children aged 2-5 years. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 3,559 children and their caregivers who brought the child for vaccination at well-baby clinics or day care centers attached to 252 public hospitals in 20 provinces across the country between May and June, 2006. The caregivers were interviewed on demographic factors, the child's sweet food consumption behaviors and 24-hour diet recall. Dental caries of the children were examined by dental personnel of the hospitals. Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with dental caries. Results: The prevalence of dental caries was 57.1%. Majority (78.3%) of the children consumed sweetened milk/yogurt regularly; 16.3% consumed sugary foods regularly, 67 % had snacks or drinks >2 items per day and 62.2 % had snacked/beverage consumption while watching TV. The most popular types of snack and drink were crispy snacks (57.4%), plain milk (54.3%), sweetened milk (50.5%), fruits (35.5%) and ice-cream (20.8%), respectively. Dental caries was significantly associated with regular consumption of sugary foods (odds ratio, OR=1.95, 95%CI=1.59-2.37, p<0.001), snack and beverage consumption while watching TV (OR=1.45, 95%CI=1.26-1.67, p<0.001), regular consumption of sweetened milk (OR=1.36, 95%CI=1.16-1.61, p<0.001), vegetables consumption (OR=1.30, 95%CI=1.14-1.49, p<0.001) and snack and beverage consumption> 2 Items per day (OR=1.19, 95%CI=1.03-1.38, p=0.02). Conclusions: It is recommended to create public awareness to limit sugar consumption in young children in the household.