Body mass index and dental caries in children and adolescents: a systematic review of literature published 2004 to 2011

THE OBJECTIVE: The authors undertook an updated systematic review of the relationship between body mass index and dental caries in children and adolescents. METHOD: The authors searched Medline, ISI, Cochrane, Scopus, Global Health and CINAHL databases and conducted lateral searches from reference lists for papers published from 2004 to 2011, inclusive. All empirical papers that tested associations between body mass index and dental caries in child and adolescent populations (aged 0 to 18 years) were included. RESULTS: Dental caries is associated with both high and low body mass index. CONCLUSION: A non-linear association between body mass index and dental caries may account for inconsistent findings in previous research. We recommend future research investigate the nature of the association between body mass index and dental caries in samples that include a full range of body mass index scores, and explore how factors such as socioeconomic status mediate the association between body mass index and dental caries.