Association Between Early Childhood Caries and Obesity among Preschool Children.

PURPOSE: Early childhood caries (ECC) and childhood obesity are among the most prevalent health conditions affecting children. ECC is associated with obesity through the common risk factor of sugar consumption. The present study aimed to assess the association between ECC and obesity in preschool children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1250 preschool children (698 girls, 552 boys; mean age: 4.3 [1.1] years). The children's body mass index was determined (BMI: weight/height in kg/m2). The World Health Organization criteria were used for the diagnosis of caries. Multivariable logistic regression was used to analyse the relationship between ECC prevalence and childhood obesity. RESULTS: ECC was detected in 929 (74.3%) children. The mean dmft and dmfs was 5.91 (1.13) and 8.92 (2.07), respectively. The multiple regression model showed a statistically significant association between ECC prevalence and obesity with an adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 2.59 (95% CI: 1.88 - 3.57; P = 0.001). The logistic regression model showed that in children with a monthly family income > $2666, sugar consumption, preterm low birth-weight/full-term low birth-weight (PTLBW/FTLBW), and toothbrushing frequency ≤ 1 time/day were statistically significantly associated with ECC prevalence. CONCLUSION: ECC was positively associated with obesity.

Dental Erosion Prevalence and Its Association With Obesity Among Children With and Without Special Healthcare Needs.

PURPOSE: Dental erosion and childhood obesity are associated with a common risk factor, soft drink consumption. The present study aims to assess the prevalence of dental erosion and its association with obesity among children with and without special healthcare needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1,200 school children (400 children with special needs (CSHN) and 800 children without special needs) in the age group of 6 to 16 years. Dental erosion was diagnosed according to World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Body mass index (BMI; weight/height in kg/m2) was recorded for each child. The association of dental erosion and obesity was analysed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 331 (27.6%) children presented with dental erosion. Dental erosion prevalence among CSHN was 33.5% and among children without special needs was 24.6%. In the final fully adjusted model, children with obesity presented 2.32 times (95%CI 1.17-4.89, P = 0.001) higher odds ratio (OR) of having dental erosion than normal-weight children. Children who consumed soft drinks ≥ 1 time/day and 2-6 times a week presented with an OR of 2.65 (95%CI 1.23-5.21, P = 0.001) times of dental erosion. Children with chronic vomiting and bulimia presented with a 3.27 (95%CI 1.72-6.12, P = 0.001) times higher OR of dental erosion. Children with gastric reflux presented with a 3.21 (95%CI 1.52 - 5.86, P = 0.001) times higher OR of dental erosion. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of dental erosion was slightly higher for special needs children compared to children without special needs. The study outcome suggests that obesity, chronic vomiting, consumption of soft drinks, and gastric reflux are statistically significantly associated with dental erosion.

Association Between Dental Caries and Obesity among Children with Special Health Care Needs.

PURPOSE: Obesity and dental caries constitute an important public health problem worldwide. Special-needs children are at higher risk of developing dental caries and obesity because of their physical, neurological, or behavioural impairment or due to side effects of the medications they take. The present study was conducted to assess the association between dental caries and obesity among children with special health care needs in Taif City, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 (220 girls and 180 boys) special-needs children. Body mass index (BMI) was determined by using height and weight measurements. Dental caries was recorded according to World Health Organization criteria. The association between caries and obesity was assessed using multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: 289 (72.3%) children presented with caries with mean dmft and DMFT of 3.9 ± 2.7 and 4.8 ± 2.3, respectively. Regression analysis showed specials needs children were at a greater risk of having dental caries: 1.69 times (CI: 0.18-2.62, p < 0.05) greater with obesity; 2.01 (CI: 0.18-3.09, p < 0.05) times greater with sugar consumption; 2.21 times (CI: 1.27-4.12, p < 0.001) greater with cerebral palsy; and 2.27 (CI: 1.29-5.12, p < 0.001) times greater with intellectual disability. CONCLUSION: The present study showed a positive association between dental caries and obesity among children of special health care needs. Hence, a focused approach towards the common risk factors is essential to prevent both obesity and dental caries in special-needs children.

Association between soft drink consumption, gastric reflux, dental erosion, and obesity among special care children.

OBJECTIVES: This study assessed the association between soft drink consumption, gastric reflux, dental erosion, and obesity among special care children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 350 special care children (male-131, female-219) mean age of 12.6 (± 2.6) years were included. Detection of dental erosion was performed according to the World Health Organization criteria. The medical evaluation assessed body mass index (BMI). With appropriate sample weighting, relationships between dental erosion prevalence and obesity were assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Overall prevalence of dental erosion was 36%. Mean BMI for entire study population was 24.7 (± 7.8). Regression analysis showed strong association between dental erosion prevalence and consumption of soft drinks (adjusted odds ratio = 1.8; 95% CI = 0.71-2.92, P < .05), bulimia (adjusted odds ratio = 2.27; 95% CI = 0.99-4.28, P < .001), and gastric reflux (adjusted odds ratio = 2.24; 95% CI = 0.82-4.1, P < .001). Bivariate analysis showed high prevalence of dental erosion among obese children compared to children with normal weight (P = .04). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated a significant association between dental erosion prevalence and consumption of soft drinks and gastric reflux among special care children.

Anaesthetic efficacy of articaine versus lidocaine in children's dentistry: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Over the last few years, numerous reviews and studies have awarded articaine hydrochloride local anaesthetic (LA) a superior reputation, with outcomes of different studies demonstrating a general tendency for articaine hydrochloride to outperform lidocaine hydrochloride for dental treatment. Nevertheless, there seems to be no clear agreement on which LA solution is more efficacious in dental treatment for children. There is no previous publication systematically reviewing and summarising the current best evidence with respect to the success rates of LA solutions in children. AIMS: To evaluate the available evidence on the efficacy of lidocaine and articaine, used in paediatric dentistry. DESIGN: A systematic search was conducted on Cochrane CENTRAL Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE (OVID; 1950 to June 2017), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL; EBSCOhost; 1982 to June 2017), EMBASE (OVID; 1980 to June 2017), SCI-EXPANDED (ISI Web of Knowledge; 1900 to June 2017), key journals, and previous review bibliographies through June 2017. Original research studies that compared articaine with lidocaine for dental treatment in children were included. Methodological quality assessment and assessment of risk of bias were carried out for each of the included studies. RESULTS: Electronic searching identified 525 publications. Following the primary and secondary assessment process, six randomised controlled trials (RCT) were included in the final analysis. There was no difference between patient self-reported pain between articaine and lidocaine during treatment procedures (SMD = 0.06, P-value = 0.614), and no difference in the occurrence of adverse events between articaine and lidocaine injections following treatment in paediatric patients (RR = 1.10, P-value = 0.863). Yet, patients reported significantly less pain post-procedure following articaine injections (SMD = 0.37, P-value = 0.013). Substantial heterogeneity was noted in the reporting of outcomes among studies, with the overall quality of majority of studies being at high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: There is low quality evidence suggesting that both articaine as infiltration and lidocaine IAD nerve blocks presented the same efficacy when used for routine dental treatments, with no difference between patient self-reported pain between articaine and lidocaine during treatment procedures. Yet, significantly less pain post-procedure was reported following articaine injections. There was no difference in the occurrence of adverse events between articaine and lidocaine injections following treatment in paediatric patients.