Original Article
Year : 2019 | Volume : 7 | Issue : 1 | Page : 7 - 10
Dental Caries and Body Mass Index: A Cross-Sectional Study among Urban Schoolchildren of age between 7 and 15 Years in Chennai, India
R. Anusha, Lakshmi Krishnan, Madan Kumar Parangimalar Diwakar
Department of Public Health Dentistry, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Address for correspondence:
Dr. R. Anusha,
Department of Public Health Dentistry, Ragas Dental College and Hospital, 2/102, East Coast Road, Uthandi, Chennai ‐ 600 119, Tamil Nadu, India. E‐mail: anu1705@gmail.com
Abstract
Objectives:
The objective of the study was to determine the association between dental caries and commonly proposed risk factors such as age, gender, body mass index (BMI), sugar intake, junk food consumption, and intermittent snacking habit among school‐going children of upper socioeconomic status in Chennai city.
Materials and Methods:
The present cross‐sectional study was carried out among 610 children of age between 7 and 15 years studying in a private school. A preformed content‐validated pro forma was used to collect the data regarding demographic details (age, gender, height, and weight), dietary pattern (sugar consumption in the past 24 h assessed through sweet score, snacking in between meals, and junk food consumption in the past 24 h), and dental chart (for the presence of decay, missing, filled, trauma, and other findings). Weight and height of the children were recorded, and BMI was calculated using the formula weight (kg)/height (m2).
Results:
On the whole, except for age and gender, none of the factors assessed including BMI, junk food intake, and snack intake were found to be associated with dental caries.
Conclusion:
With the changing dietary patterns and demography, the dynamic nature of dental caries is better assessed if approached in terms of common risk factors.
Keywords: Body mass index, Chennai city, children, dental caries, school
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil.
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
How to cite this article:
Anusha R, Krishnan L, Diwakar MP. Dental caries and body mass index: A cross-sectional study among urban schoolchildren of age between 7 and 15 years in Chennai, India. Int J Community Dent 2019;7:7-10.
