Publication:

Influence of dietary habits and physical activity on body mass index and dental caries in children of Visakhapatnam

Background Healthy diet and adequate physical activity are necessary for optimal growth of children. Dental caries is the most common disease in children, with diet being one of the contributing risk factors. Lack of physical activity in children also leads to weight gain, which may lead to systemic complications in adulthood. Hence the present study is designed to find out the association between dietary habits and physical activity with body mass index (BMI) and dental caries in children.

Methods Children between 8–13 years attending the Department of Pedodontics, Gitam Dental College and Hospital were selected through convenience sampling for the survey. Children were given a printed questionnaire regarding the physical activity and individual food preferences. BMI and decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index of the individual subjects were calculated. Mean scores of the individual questions were tabulated and subjected to statistical analysis.

Results There is no significant relation between physical activity and increased BMI. Poor dietary habits resulted in increased BMI, with increased junk food and fatty food intake and decreased consumption of vegetables and fruits being important risk factors. Environmental factors including age and gender are additional factors for prevalence of dental caries. Moreover, there is increased caries activity in children with lower BMI.

Conclusions The findings of this study provided an insight into the oral health status, dietary habits and the changes in lifestyle of school going children in Visakhapatnam post COVID-19, which may be useful in designing and planning preventive oral health programs.