Abstract
Objectives
To determine the association between early childhood caries and nutritional status in preschool children.
Methods
Cross-sectional study among preschool children (N=550, age 8–60 mo) were selected in tribal, rural and urban health care units of Kerala. An oral examination for early childhood caries status was done using Deft index. The anthropometric measurements were recorded. Multiple logistic regression with other covariates was used to determine the association between the early childhood caries and nutritional status.
Results
The mean (SD) Deft scores were 0.93 (1.73), 2.22 (2.92) and 3.40 (3.23) for children with normal nutritional status, borderline undernutrition and undernutrition, respectively. Children with borderline undernutrition (adjusted OR 2.05, 95% CI 1.20, 3.49) or undernutrition (adjusted OR 3.46, 95% CI 1.93, 6.29) had higher odds of dental caries in comparison to those with normal nutritional status.
Conclusion
Undernutrition is associated with early childhood caries among preschool children.
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Janakiram, C., Antony, B. & Joseph, J. Association of Undernutrition and Early Childhood Dental Caries. Indian Pediatr 55, 683–685 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-018-1359-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13312-018-1359-4