Ultra-processed food consumption and dental pain in adolescents: a descriptive analysis, Brazil, 2019

To analyze association between ultra-processed food consumption and self-reported dental pain by Brazilian adolescents.

This is a cross-sectional study with data from the 2019 National School Health Survey with adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. The outcome was self-reported dental pain in the last six months. Ultra-processed food consumption was assessed based on the frequency of intake in the last 24 hours and in the last seven days, according to the NOVA classification, considering consumption of sweet food, soft drinks and fast-food meals categorized as low (0-2 days), moderate (3-4 days) or high (5-7 days). Associations were estimated using prevalence ratios (PR) adjusted for sex, age, race/skin color, maternal education and dentist visit.

Of the 124,898 adolescents analyzed, 21.5% reported dental pain. 98.4% consumed ultra-processed food in the last 24 hours. Low consumption of sweet food (40.5%), soda (61.9%) and fast-food meals (82.1%) was observed in terms of weekly frequency. In the adjusted analysis, dental pain prevalence was higher among adolescents with high consumption of sweet food (PR 1.27; 95%CI 1.22; 1.31), soda (PR 1.28; 95%CI 1.23; 1.32) and fast-food meals (PR 1.22; 95%CI 1.15; 1.29) in the last week, compared to those with low consumption.

Higher frequency of ultra-processed food consumption is associated with higher prevalence of dental pain among Brazilian adolescents, highlighting the relevance of intersectoral strategies for promoting healthy eating and oral health prevention in this age group.