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Dental caries and childhood obesity: roles of diet and socioeconomic status
Author(s) -
Marshall Teresa A.,
EichenbergerGilmore Julie M.,
Broffitt Barbara A.,
Warren John J.,
Levy Steven M.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/j.1600-0528.2006.00353.x
Subject(s) - medicine , overweight , socioeconomic status , obesity , logistic regression , demography , population , environmental health , pediatrics , sociology
Objective: Our objective was to determine (a) if caries and obesity were associated in a pediatric population and (b) if so, then to explore diet and socioeconomic status as additional risk factors. Methods: Subjects were recruited at birth and are members of the Iowa Fluoride Study. Data such as parental age, parental education levels and family incomes were obtained by questionnaire at recruitment. Children's primary dentition was examined and their weight and height measured at 4.5–6.9 years of age. Parental weight and height were measured when children were 7.6–10.9 years of age. Beverage and nutrient intake patterns were obtained from 3‐day food and beverage diaries completed at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years of age. Results: Children with caries had lower family incomes, less educated parents, heavier mothers and higher soda‐pop intakes at 2, 3 and for 1–5 years than children without caries ( P < 0.05). ‘Overweight’ children had less educated fathers and heavier parents than ‘normal’ weight children ( P < 0.05). Children ‘at risk’ of overweight had higher caries rates than ‘normal’ or ‘overweight’ children ( P < 0.05). In stepwise logistic regression models to predict caries experience, soda‐pop intakes were displaced by mother's education, leaving ‘at risk’ of overweight and mother's education in the final model. Conclusion: Caries and obesity coexist in children of low socioeconomic status. Public health measures to improve dietary education and access to appropriate foodstuffs could decrease the risk of both diseases.