Association between body mass index and dental age in Hispanic children

The purpose of this prospective cross-sectional study was to determine whether body mass index (BMI) is associated with dental development in Hispanic children when compared to their chronologic age and expected dental development. The study enrolled 265 healthy (American Society of Anesthesiology Class I), 6- to 12-year-old Hispanic children. A BMI was calculated from each child's height and weight, and a panoramic radiograph was taken at the same appointment. Subjects were enrolled into 1 of 2 groups: a control group with BMIs classified as underweight/average (less than 85th percentile) and a group with BMIs classified as overweight/obese (85th percentile or greater). Dental age was determined using both panoramic radiographs and the Demirjian dental maturity scale to examine the stage of root development in the dentition. Chronologic age was obtained from each child's birthdate. Results showed a high correlation between chronologic and dental ages (P < 0.001), although dental age was significantly greater in the total sample. The mean difference in dental age among all children was 7.4 months, but the difference was significantly greater (P < 0.001) in children who were overweight/obese (11.7 months) than in underweight/average subjects (3.4 months). Overweight/obese Hispanic children were approximately 3.5 times more dentally advanced. The older the chronologic age, the greater the difference.