Correlation between caries status and Body Mass Index in school children aged 6–10 Years in Greater Noida

Background: Decreased physical activity, sedentary lifestyle, changes in food habits have led to significant rise in the number of obese children. With an increase in number of children preferring fast food products over a balanced diet, the condition has become more prevalent. Food items such as soft drinks, refined breads are generally of low nutritive quality but have high cariogenic potential. Aim: To determine a correlation between the caries status and Body Mass Index (BMI) in school children aged 6-10 years in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Settings and Design: A total of 468 children were examined from 4 primary schools which were selected by simple random sampling method. Materials & Method: Prior to the dental and medical examination, informed consents were obtained from the parent’s/ guardian’s of the children. Dental caries was assessed using df-t and DF-T index. The height of the children was measured by a stadiometer and weight was measured by a portable digital weighing machine. BMI was classified according to World Health organization classification. Statistical Analysis used: Student t-test and Chi-square test were used and all statistical tests were conducted using IBM SPSS software (ver.20.0; IBM, Chicago, IL, USA). Results: 79.4% children were in normal range, 7.6% in underweight, 10.20% and 2.8% in overweight and obese range respectively. Caries free dentition was found in 52% of underweight children, 47.4% in normal weight children, 41.6% and 38.5% in overweight and obese children respectively. Mean df-t/DF-T score of the study population was 2.32. Conclusion: The present study showed a significant correlation between caries status and obesity, and it forces the challenge that is forced on preventive public health programs for more focus towards nutrition and physical activity. Keywords: Correlation, Caries Status, Body Mass Index, School children