Relationship between the food intakes and obesity with dental caries among6-11 years old children referred to Pediatric dental clinic of Zahedan

Background and Dental caries is one of the most common infectious diseases dependingon nutrition. The aim of this studywas to investigate the relationship between the food intakes, obesity and dental caries among 6-11 years old children,referred to the pediatric clinic of the Faculty of Dentistry, Zahedan. This descriptive-analyticalstudy was performed on 79 children aged6-11 year-old. Dental caries was determined using DMFT. The body mass index (BMI) was usedto evaluate obesity and also asemi-quantitativefood frequency questionnaire (FFQ) was usedto assessfood intakes. The results showed that the prevalence of caries (≥4) amongoverweight and obese children was significantly more than other children(P>0.05).The results of food frequency showed that all childrenexcept those receivedmilk and dairyproducts, received fruits and vegetables from other food groups.There was a significant negative correlation between dental caries with mean consumption of milk and dairy products and fruits and vegetables,and a significant positive correlation with BMI and frequency of sweets consumption. In the present study, obesity, cariogenic snacks, reducing the consumption of dairy products, fruits and vegetables have been proposed as risk factors for dental caries among children.Considering the importance of teeth in public health of children, education of parents and children regarding a balanced diet is essential.