Community Dental Health

cover art

Cover Date:
March 2009
Print ISSN:
0265 539X
Vol:
26
Issue:
1

Childhood growth and dental caries

Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine whether the removal of carious teeth affected children’s growth relative to that of a standard population. Design: Longitudinal prospective observational study. Setting: Manchester Dental Hospital (MDH), UK. Participants: Five and six year- old children who attended for extraction of carious teeth under general anaesthesia. Main outcome measure: Change in height, weight and BMI standard deviation scores during the six months after extraction of carious teeth. Methods and materials: The children’s dental caries levels, weight and height were measured prior to extraction using standard criteria and a single trained examiner and they were then re-measured six months later. The body mass index of the children was calculated and all measurements were converted to standard deviation scores (SDS) using the UK 1990 growth reference. Changes in growth SDS during the six months subsequent to the extractions were then calculated. Results: Two hundred and eighteen children, mean (range) age 5.9 (5-6) were examined initially, of whom 131 were successfully followed up a mean 7.1 (0.13) months later. The participants had a mean dmft of 7.18 (SD 3.27) at baseline and were not shorter than expected (8.3% <10th percentile), or more underweight (6.9% <10th percentile for weight). At follow up children showed a statistically significant gain in BMI SDS (mean (SD) 0.26 (37) p<0.001) and a small gain in height SDS (0.05 (0.38) p=0.05). Conclusion: This study suggests that the extraction of carious teeth in five and six year old children promotes weight gain and possibly growth.

Key Words: childhood, dental caries, growth.

Article Price
£15.00
Institution Article Price
£
Page Start
38
Page End
42
Authors
T. Malek Mohammadi, C. M. Wright, E. J. Kay

Articles from this issue

  • Title
  • Pg. Start
  • Pg. End

  1. Editorial - Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health. A Report of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health (CSDH) 2008.
  2. 2
  3. 3

  1. Referees 2009
  2. 4
  3. 4

  1. Predictive tool for estimating the potential effect of water fluoridation on dental caries
  2. 5
  3. 11

  1. Dental caries prevalence and distribution among preschoolers in Singapore
  2. 12
  3. 17

  1. Oral health in German children, adolescents, adults and senior citizens in 2005
  2. 18
  3. 22

  1. Caries prevalence and fluoride use in low SES children in Clermont-Ferrand (France)
  2. 23
  3. 28

  1. Previous radiographic experience of children referred for dental extractions under general anaesthesia in the UK.
  2. 29
  3. 31

  1. The prevalence of dental caries and fissure sealants in 12 year old children by disadvantaged status in Dublin (Ireland).
  2. 32
  3. 37

  1. Childhood growth and dental caries
  2. 38
  3. 42

  1. Measurement of attitudes of UK dental practitioners to core job constructs.
  2. 43
  3. 51

  1. Dental general anaesthesia - will the service disappear? A pilot study
  2. 52
  3. 57

  1. Orthodontic treatment need and oral health-related quality among children
  2. 58
  3. 61

  1. Short Communication - Changing dental caries levels in the 1980’s, 1990’s and 2005 among children of a Jerusalem region.
  2. 62
  3. 64