Snacking Habits and Caries in Young Children
- 20 August 2010
- journal article
- research article
- Published by S. Karger AG in Caries Research
- Vol. 44 (5), 421-430
- https://doi.org/10.1159/000318569
Abstract
Dental caries is caused by a combination of infection and diet. This disease, if left untreated, may lead to pain, and impair the quality of life, nutritional status and development of young children. The objective was to investigate the association between snacking and caries in a population at high risk of dental caries. American preschool children (n = 1,206) were recruited in the offices of paediatricians. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, oral hygiene, breast-feeding, use of bottle and snacking were collected by questionnaire. Plaque presence, the number of teeth and their caries status (deft) were scored. The children sampled were 61% Black, 27% White and 10% Asian. Of the 1- to 2-, 2- to 3- and 3- to 4-year-old children, 93.8, 82.4 and 77.3% were caries free, and their mean caries scores were 0.16, 0.58 and 0.93, respectively. Multivariate partial least squares (PLS) modelling revealed plaque presence, lowest income, descriptors for tooth exposure time (number of teeth and age) and cariogenic challenge (total intake of sugar-containing snacks and chips/crisps, and chips intake with a sugar-containing drink) to be associated with more caries. These differences were also found in univariate analyses; in addition, children who continued breast-feeding after falling asleep had significantly higher deft values than those who did not. PLS modelling revealed that eating chips clustered with eating many sweet snacks, candies, popcorn and ice cream. We conclude that, in addition to the traditional risk indicators for caries – presence of plaque, sugar intake and socioeconomic status –, consumption of chips was associated with caries in young children.Keywords
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Microbial Risk Markers for Childhood Caries in Pediatricians’ OfficesJournal of Dental Research, 2010
- Prevalence of dental caries in Sri Lankan aboriginal Veddha childrenInternational Dental Journal, 2002
- Caries prevalence and risk factors among children aged 0 to 36 monthsPesquisa Odontológica Brasileira, 2002
- Introducing the Significant Caries Index together with a proposal for a new global oral health goal for 12-year-oldsInternational Dental Journal, 2000
- A Systematic Review of the Relationship Between Breastfeeding and Early Childhood CariesCanadian Journal of Public Health, 2000
- Caries and its association with infant feeding and oral health‐related behaviours in 3–4‐year‐old Brazilian childrenCommunity Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, 2000
- Food Starches and Dental CariesCritical Reviews in Oral Biology & Medicine, 2000
- Oral Health in the United States: The Post-Fluoride GenerationAnnual Review of Public Health, 2000
- Diagnosing and Reporting Early Childhood Caries for Research Purposes: A Report of a Workshop Sponsored by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Health Care Financing AdministrationJournal of Public Health Dentistry, 1999
- Caries Risk Factors among Three-year Old Children in Chiba, JapanAsia-Pacific journal of public health, 1999