Association between caries experience and body mass index (BMI) among preschool children in Kuantan

Introduction: Dental caries and obesity are significant and common oral health and general health problems faced by children. Both caries and obesity are reported to share common risk factors. There are conflicting results in the literatures regarding the relationship between dental caries and childhood body mass index particularly among preschool children. Thus, this research aims to measure the prevalence of dental caries and determine the relationship between dental caries and body mass index (BMI) among preschool children in Kuantan. Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried out in kindergartens in Kuantan using the convenience sampling method. A total of 180 participants were enrolled in this study with 60 participants each for every group. The participants were classified into underweight, normal and overweight based on their BMI. Their caries index was recorded using WHO guidelines. For BMI, participant’s weight and height were recorded and categorized by using the BMI Calculator for Child and Teen (CDC). Result: Pertaining to dental caries, 73.3% of the participants had dental caries. The overweight group recorded the highest caries index and the highest percentage of visible plaque, but the results were not significant. Conclusion: Our study concluded that there is no association between dental caries and body mass index among preschool children in Kuantan