DENTAL CARIES AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF SCHOOL CHILDREN IN LAGOS, NIGERIA - A PRELIMINARY SURVEY.

BACKGROUND: Studies have highlighted the direct impact of caries on the nutritional status of children; few studies in Nigeria have examined the association between the two parameters.

AIM: To determine the association between caries and the nutritional status of in-school children. Design of the study: A cross-sectional survey.

SETTING: Two private and two public schools in Lagos state.

METHODOLOGY: A total of 973 children were assessed for dental caries using the WHO diagnostic criteria. Nutritional status was assessed using the weight for age, height for age and weight for height parameters. Data entry and analysis were done using WHO Epi 3.5 nutritstat and SPSS version 20.0 software. The t test, ANOVA, chi squared test, correlation statistics and logistic regression analysis were used as tests of association. A p-value of 0.05 or less was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Caries prevalence was 21.7% while mean Decayed Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index score was 0.48 (±1.135). Overall 13.9% of the children studied were stunted, 13.6% were wasted and 10.9% were underweight. The caries prevalence was significantly higher in children with normal weight than in overweight or underweight children (p=0.009). Children who were wasted (p=0.111) and those who were underweight (p=0.659) had a higher mean DMFT score, but the relationship was not statistically significant. The DMFT score was negatively correlated with weight for age but positively correlated with height for age and weight for height. The relationships were also not statistically significant.

CONCLUSION: Our results showed that underweight children had a higher risk of developing dental caries. Although both under weight and wasted children had higher mean DMFT scores, there was no significant association between dental caries and nutritional status.