Deciphering Possible Association of Risk Factors for Dental Caries in Pakistani Population

Abstract

Obesity is a state of abnormal accumulation of fat in adipose tissues of the body to the level that one’s health is adversely compromised. Tripathi et al. state (according to WHO) that obesity is now considered the fifth leading cause of mortality in the world. Caries is a multifactorial disease and one of the major oral health issues of the modern era affecting people around the globe. Rise in dental caries has been observed in developing countries as a result of factors including increased intake of carbohydrates. The present study aims for assessing the association of DMFT with BMI, age, and gender. This study was conducted in the dental OPD of the Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, from February 2016 till January 2017. A custom-made interview-based questionnaire was used to assess BMI, DMFT, and sociodemographics. The sample size was kept at 385. Age was reported as a strong predictor (R2 0.641) of DMFT followed by BMI and gender as the weakest predictors. Age and BMI had statistically significant association with DMFT scores, which shows that diet patterns may affect general health. High caloric intake over long periods affects BMI and also oral health.