BACKGROUND
Over the past few decades, a growing trend of overweight and obesity has emerged among the pediatric population. This is a cause of significant concern as these are significantly correlated to other negative oral and systemic health outcomes over time. Although measurement of body mass index (BMI) is common among pediatric physicians and primary care providers, few studies have explored the feasibility of BMI measurement and analysis from pediatric dental providers.
OBJECTIVE
The primary objective of this study was to compile and analyze pediatric BMI measurements taken from a pediatric dental school patient population.
METHODS
This study was a retrospective analysis of previously collected data of pediatric patients between 2012 and 2019 (N=451), which was reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Descriptive statistics and trend analysis were compiled to determine the trends in pediatric BMI over time.
RESULTS
Nearly equal percentages of females and males were represented in the study (P=0.432), with the overwhelming majority identified as racial/ethnic minorities (84.5%), P=0.0075. These data revealed that pediatric BMI increased significantly from 25.6 in 2012 to 31.3 in 2018 (22.1%), P=0.031. No significant differences between males and females were observed (P=0.4824) or between minority and non-minority patients (P=0.8288).
CONCLUSIONS
This study provides significant novel temporal information regarding pediatric BMI among this low-income, minority patient population and highlights the need for expanding the dental school (and pediatric dental residency) curriculum to include more topics related to measuring and tracking overweight and obese children and the most appropriate methods for use in the pediatric dental office.