Relationship between severe early childhood caries and body mass index

Abstract

Aim: This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in the absence of any underlying medical condition for the school going (3 to 6 years old) children of Mathura city, India. Method: One hundred caries free children (50 boys and 50 girls) and one hundred children (50 boys and 50 girls) affected with S-ECC in the age range of 3-6 years without any contributing medical history were included in the study. Measurements of the weight (kg) and height (m) were done using a standard balanced beam scale and stadiometer. The BMI (kg/m2) was determined and the body weight status was evaluated using CDC based classification for each child. Independent t-test was used to evaluate whether the weight, height and BMI of S-ECC children is significantly different from caries free children. Result: Although the weight of the S-ECC children is more when compared to the normal children, the difference is not statistically significant. However, the mean BMI of S-ECC children is more when compared to the caries free children which was found to be statistically significant at p<0.05. The body weight status of the Normal and S-ECC affected children based on the CDC classification revealed that 48% have been classified in underweight category and 43% in normal weight category and very few children are found to be at risk of overweight and overweight. Conclusions: A positive correlation between the BMI and S-ECC was observed in this study. 51% of caries free children and 45% of S-ECC children were classified in underweight category based on CDC classification.