The dietary patterns of 12-year-old children and their awareness about the effect of diet on oral health in Iran

Foods containing carbohydrates have a major effect on the pathogenesis of dental caries. There is a direct correlation between frequency of consumption of foods containing sugar and dental caries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dietary patterns of 12-year-old children and their awareness about the effect of diet on oral health in Iran.
A cross-sectional survey was conducted on 1554 children aged 12 years in 5 provinces in Iran. Subjects were selected based on a multistage stratified cluster random sampling procedure. Data were collected by a culturally adapted questionnaire that included demographic data (such as sex, age, parents’ job and education, and area), and questions about the frequency of consumption of cariogenic and non-cariogenic foods during the previous week.
The mean score of diet-related behavior was 17.5 ± 5.9 (from 40). Approximately, 31.0% of children ate sweet foods (chocolate/cake/biscuit/chips), and 39.4% drank soft drinks (sugared tea or coffee or milked/soda/syrup) more than once a day, while 15 percent of children consumed fresh fruit and raw vegetables more than once a day. Students living in urban areas had higher scores in diet-related behavior (18.3 ± 5.4 vs. 16.1 ± 6.4, P The results showed that dietary patterns was not satisfactory, and the level of consumption of cariogenic foods was high. Study findings recommend that school-based oral health programs should be designed for modifying the dietary habits in Iran.