The relationship between body mass index and oral health indices in adolescent children: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background and Objective: The prevalence of obesity has been increasing dramatically worldwide in recent years, and the bidirectional interaction between high body mass index (BMI) and oral health has been described in the literature. Accordingly, the present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between BMI and oral health indices.

Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 654 children were classified according to their BMI for age and sex into the following groups; underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria. Data on plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), and caries index of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) were collected. Data were analyzed by SPSS 26 using descriptive tests, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Spearman correlation test at the 0.05 level.

Results: The mean values ​​of oral health indices (gingival index, plaque index, and caries index) were significantly higher in obese individuals than in individuals with low or normal weight (p<0.05). Spearman correlation coefficient showed a significant positive relationship of weak intensity between gingival and plaque indices and BMI (p<0.05) and moderate intensity between caries index and BMI (p>0.01).

Conclusions: Based on the current study, we note the association of oral health with BMI in children in Damascus, where high values ​​of gingival, plaque, and caries indices were associated with high BMI. Hence, more studies are needed to confirm these findings.