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Adverse birth outcomes and childhood caries: a cohort study

Areerat Nirunsittirat1, Waranuch Pitiphat2,3, Christy Michelle McKinney4

  • 1Graduate School, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen, Thailand, and Department of Family and Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology
|January 12, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Preterm birth showed an inverse association with childhood dental caries. However, low birthweight and small-for-gestational age were not linked to cavities in primary teeth in this Thai cohort.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Neonatal Health
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Adverse birth outcomes are potential risk factors for childhood diseases.
  • Dental caries is a prevalent childhood disease with multifactorial etiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between adverse birth outcomes (preterm birth, low birthweight, small-for-gestational age) and the presence of dental caries in primary teeth.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 758 children from Khon Kaen, Thailand, was analyzed.
  • Dental caries was assessed using the decayed, missing, and filled surfaces (dmfs) index in children aged 3-4 years.
  • Negative binomial regression models were used to estimate adjusted relative risks.

Main Results:

  • Dental caries was prevalent, affecting 88.2% of children with a mean dmfs of 14.3.
  • An inverse association was found between preterm birth and dental caries (adjusted RR 0.61).
  • Low birthweight (LBW) and small-for-gestational age (SGA) were not significantly associated with dental caries.

Conclusions:

  • Preterm birth may have a protective association with childhood dental caries.
  • LBW and SGA do not appear to be risk factors for dental caries in this population.
Abstract

Keywords:
childrendental carieslow birthweightpretermprimary teethsmall-for-gestational age

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