Are dental caries and overweight/obesity interrelated? A cross-sectional study in rural and urban preschool children.

BACKGROUND: Obesity and dental caries are two distinct diseases which are somewhat preventable through a common risk factor approach, as they have common underlying etiological factor, i.e., high sugar intake. AIM: The aim of the study is to examine the correlation between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) in rural and urban areas of Hisar (Haryana, India) and intercompare their correlations. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a cross-sectional study in rural and urban preschool children of Hisar, Haryana. METHODS: A total of 500 urban and 500 rural children (age group 3-6 years) were selected from schools of Hisar and the values of their mean BMI and mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (dmft) (using the World Health Organization criteria, 2005) were compared using independent sample t-test among different groups and subgroups. Pearson correlation coefficients between dmft and BMI were calculated for groups and subgroups and intercompared. RESULTS: Males had significantly higher BMI than females (P < 0.05) and urban preschool children had significantly higher BMI than rural preschool children (P < 0.05). Mean deft was statistically non-significant across the genders and both geographical areas. Non-significant negative correlation was observed between dmft and BMI across different areas and genders. The overall prevalence of obesity/overweight was 20.2% (25.6% urban preschool children; 14.8% rural preschool children). More rural preschool children were underweight (23.8%) than urban preschool children (14.4%) with the overall prevalence of underweight being 19.1%. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant correlation between dental caries and BMI in preschool children of rural and urban areas. Obesity/overweight was more prevalent in urban preschool children, whereas rural preschool children predominantly were underweight.