Overweight/obese children are associated with lower caries experience than normal‐weight children/adolescents

Aim To compare (a) enamel carious (EC) and dentin carious (DC) lesions and (b) caries risk, between normal‐weight (NW) and overweight/obese (OW) children/adolescents. Design In this cross‐sectional study, 91 participants aged 6‐12 years were classified according to the body mass index (BMI): NW (n = 50) and OW (n = 41). Caries experience was evaluated using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System (ICDAS) with two thresholds: “EC/DC” (ICDAS 1‐3/4‐6) and “DC” (ICDAS 4‐6). Caries risk was determined by the Caries Management by Risk Assessment (CAMBRA) system. A logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association among OW, caries thresholds, and caries risk. Results Caries experience was similar for both groups at the “EC/DC” threshold ( P  = .477) and higher for the NW group at the “DC” threshold ( P  = .009). For CAMBRA, caries risk classification was similar for both groups ( P  = .082). The logistic regression showed the OW group was less likely to exhibit radiographically visible proximal carious lesions (odds ratio [OR] of 0.330, P  = .019), thick biofilm visible on the tooth surface (OR = 0.360, P  = .019), high caries risk (OR = 0.367, P  = .039), and moderate‐to‐high caries levels (OR = 0.190, P  = .022). Conclusion OW children/adolescents had lower caries experience, at both ICDAS thresholds, and lower caries risk, compared to NW children/adolescents.