109 - Effects of Body Mass Index on Early Childhood Caries in a Community Health Center

Effects of Body Mass Index on Early Childhood Caries, Rios Gonzalez MD, Stauffer J (NYU Langone Dental Medicine Advanced Education in Pediatric Dentistry, San Diego, CA)

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective chart review is to determine whether a positive correlation exists between early childhood caries (ECC) or severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) and the body mass index (BMI) status of patients.

Methods: Data was collected from children, ages six years and under, who presented for oral examinations at Children’s Dental Center at Rady Children’s Hospital and (2) Chula Vista Medical Plaza. Information on ASA status, age, gender, BMI, dmft score, and race for each patient was collected. The BMI percentile values were calculated using the guidelines provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP). BMI percentiles were organized into one of the four categories according to CDCP guidelines: underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese and morbid obese.

Results: 300 charts were reviewed. The distribution of BMI percentiles for patients examined and included in this study were: (1) 9% underweights; (2) 63% normal weight; (3) 11% overweight; and (4) 11% obese; and (5) 6% morbid obese. There was no correlation observed between BMI percentiles and dmft scores, ASA status or gender. There was a positive correlation relationship observed between race and dmft scores.

Conclusion: No statistical correlation was observed between BMI and ECC or S-ECC. There was a statistically significant difference on the dmft score between race groups. Further research should explore social economic status and caries experience.