Prevalence of obesity in elementary school children and its association with dental caries

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate the prevalence of obesity among elementary school children and to examine the association between obesity and caries activity in the mixed dentition stage. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in King Abdulaziz University,Jeddah,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between September 2014 and June 2015 using a multi-stage stratified sample of 915 elementary school children (482 boys,433 girls) in Jeddah,Saudi Arabia. Anthropometric measurements,consisting of height,weight,body mass index (BMI),and waist circumference (WC),were obtained. Children were classified as underweight/healthy,overweight,or obese and as non-obese or obese according to their BMI and WC,respectively. Each child’s caries experience was assessed using the decay score in the primary and permanent teeth. Results: Based on BMI,18% of children were obese,18% were overweight,and 64% were underweight/ normal. Based on WC,16% of children were obese,and 84% were non-obese. Girls had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity based on WC measurements (p<0.001),but not BMI. Children enrolled in private schools had a significantly higher prevalence of obesity (p<0.05) than those in public schools. For primary and permanent teeth combined,children with higher BMI and WC had a lower prevalence of caries (p<0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of obesity was high among male and female elementary school children. Overall caries activity was inversely proportional to BMI and WC.