Dental Caries Status in Different Nutritional Status of the Prathom 6 Primary School of Bangkok Metropotitan Administration, Donmueng District

Abstract

Dental Caries Status in Different Nutritional Status of the Prathom 6 Primary School of Bangkok Metropotitan Administration, Donmueng District

Sunate Jintarith DDS, MPH*

*Dental Clinic of Public Health Center 60, Health Department, B.M.A.

Objective: To study the relationship between nutritional states and mean decayed missing and filled permanent tooth (mean DMFT) of permanent first molars.

Study design: Descriptive study.

Subjects: A total of 1,085 Prathom 6 primary school children of B.M.A. in Donmueng District from May 2004 to January 2005.

Methods: By selection of all Prathom 6 primary school children of B.M.A. in Donmueng District. The data of nutritional status reports individually by weight criteria of height and DMFT of permanent first molars was collected and compaired by Pearson's correlation.

Main outcome measures: Nutritional states reported by measuring weight in criteria of height in 2-18 years old students classified into 6 levels consisted of thin (+2 S.D. to +3 S.D.), obesity (>+3 S.D.) and dental health status reports by measuring mean DMFT of permanent first molars.

Results: It was found that the prevalence rate of dental caries and mean DMFT in thin group was 69.70% and 1.66, 69.23% and 1.77 in rather thin group, 61.52 and 1.49 in balanced group, 59.15% and 1.39 in chubby group, 41.89% and 1.02 in over weight group, 27.14% and 0.65 in obesity group, respectively.

This study showed that mean weight in criteria lf height was statistically significant correlated with dental health status (mean DMFT) at r = - 0.92. In addition, it was found that mean weight in criteria of height increased when mean DMFT decreased (P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The correlation between nutritional status and dental health status showed the negative relation which means that undernutritional group had tooth decay more than normal nutritional status group. In addition, the over weight and obesity groups had the least prevalence of tooth decay. So dental problems was interesting and should corrected in the group of undernutritional students by surveillance planning projects with school nurses.

Key words: Nutritional status, dental caries

Vajira Med J 2005 ; 49 : 11 - 18