U-shaped association between untreated caries and body mass index in adults at Rabat dental University hospital, Morocco: cross sectional study

• Published in: BMC research notes Vol. 10; no. 1; p. 5
• Main Authors: Chala, Sanaa, El Aidouni, Manal, Abouqal, Redouane, Abdallaoui, Faïza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 03-01-2017
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Body Height; Body Mass Index; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dental Caries - complications; Dental Caries - epidemiology; Female; Hospitals, University; Humans; Male; Morocco - epidemiology; Multivariate Analysis; Nonlinear Dynamics; Obesity - complications; Overweight - complications; Poisson Distribution; Prevalence; Short Report; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tertiary Healthcare; Toothbrushing; Young Adult; Low body mass index; Non linear association; Caries severity; High body mass index
• ISSN: 1756-0500; 1756-0500
• DOI: 10.1186/s13104-016-2356-0

Many previous studies estimating the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and dental decay are conflicting. Most studies, however, examine the relationship using BMI as a categorical variable. This study evaluated the non-linear association between body mass index as a continuous variable and untreated dental decay.
Cross-sectional study of adults free of diseases attending a tertiary dental clinic was conducted. The number of untreated caries at the time of consultation was assessed using the WHO criteria. A multivariable Poisson regression model for severity of untreated dental decay was first established. Restricted cubic spline functions were used to consider potential non-linear associations between BMI and untreated dental caries.
After multivariable adjustment, the prevalence ratios (PR) for the number of dental decay remained significantly associated with the age at beginning tooth brushing (PR = 1.15, 95% CI 1.05-1.25), BMI < normal (PR = 1.66, 95% CI 1.30-2.12), BMI > normal (PR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.03-1.65), SDI (PR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.50-0.75) and GI (PR = 1.59, 95% CI 1.30-1.94). When BMI was evaluated as continuous variable, it exhibited a significant U-shaped pattern with the number of untreated dental decay both in univariable and multivariable analysis.
The rate of untreated tooth decay was associated with both under- and overweight status.