| Abstract [eng] |
Title: Early Childhood Caries and Obesity Objective: The aims of this review are 1) to identify the connection between overweight and dental caries in children, 2) to compare incidence of caries in two groups a) overweight and b) normal weight children. Furthermore, it aims 3) to identify risk factors. Data Sources: Studies published during the last five years until 31. December 2023 and in the English language and accessible were searched in PubMed, Wiley, and Scopus. Search terms included obesity, overweight, body mass index, dental caries, early childhood caries, and children. Reference mining was performed in titles, abstracts, and full-text papers for additional references. A total of 347 studies were identified through database search and reference lists. Study Selection: Database search was done, duplicates were removed, and a two-phase strategy was employed for the search. In the first phase, screening of articles and abstracts, followed by an assessment of the full-text of articles deemed suitable for inclusion and exclusion criteria. The search identified 20 studies that examined the association between early childhood caries and overweight and/or obesity; 7 studies met the inclusion criteria. In all included studies, the most commonly used dental assessment was the dmft index, and the most commonly used anthropometric measurement was body mass index. Results: Children with overweight and obesity aged 6 years and younger had a significantly higher incidence of early childhood caries in comparison with children with normal weight (n=4). The study population revealed an association between dietary habits, low levels of parental income, and ethnicity with both conditions. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, majority of the studies showed that there was an association between ECC in children with overweight and/or obesity. However, due to various assessment measures to determine overweight/obesity and dental caries, the findings should be interpreted with caution. Keywords: children, dental caries, early childhood caries, overweight, obesity. |
