Relationship between early childhood caries and weight, height, body mass index and head circumferences in 3-5 year-old children in Kazeroun

Early childhood caries (ECC) is a common dental disease, with various risk factors involved. It has heavy negative consequences for the child, family and society. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between ECC and weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and head circumference (HC) anthropometric characteristics. Two hundred 3-5 year-old healthy children attending the primary health care centers of Kazeroun city in Fars Province were recruited. One hundred children with ECC were selected using simple random sampling method; one hundred healthy and caries-free children were placed in the control group. The subjects in the two groups were subjected to the same clinical examinations. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistical tests using SPSS 11.5 software. Of the indexes evaluated, only height and BMI exhibited statistically significant relationships with ECC. The means of height and BMI in the ECC and caries-free groups were 102, 103, 14.7, and 15.3, respectively. Subsequent to early childhood caries, complications such as pain, inflammation, premature loss of deciduous teeth, and speech and masticatory problems result in deleterious effects on child growth and development and quality of life. Therefore, the relationship between dental caries and height and BMI can be justified. Oral hygiene procedures and regular periodic examinations are recommended to prevent dental caries.