Eating Habits as a Common Risk Factor for Obesity and Oral Health Disorders in School Children

2019-10-16Scientific articles

Fasoulas A, Pavlidou E, Petridis D, Mantzorou M, Seroglou K and Giaginis C. Eating Habits as a Common Risk Factor for Obesity and Oral Health Disorders in School Children. Austin J Nutri Food Sci. 2019; 7(7): 1129.

 

Abstract

Healthy body weight and oral health are fundamental components of the healthy psychosomatic development and well-being of children and adolescents. Hence, identifying the factors that affect them constitutes an essential issue. The purpose of this study was to investigate the risk factors related to Body Mass Index (BMI) and oral health to develop preventive programs for children and adolescents and to adopt best practices. The study was conducted in three consecutive school years among 536 schoolchildren (4–18 y). Eating habits were assessed using a weighted eating behavior questionnaire, also anthropometric measurements, intraoral and extra oral examinations were performed. This study indicates the following: Increased prevalence of Orthodontic Disorders (OD) (>50%) and overweight (preobesity and obesity) (40%) was recorded. The rates of overweight classes were higher in boys than in girls. The increased number of Chewing Cycles (CC) and choice of hard instead of soft foods were associated with a lower risk of OD. “Obese” boys are more at risk of OD than “obese” girls. Significant relationships among BMI, meal duration, sweets and breakfast consumption, chewing habits and distracted eating were confirmed. The caries risk was significantly affected by the structure of food (hard, soft) and consumption of sweets. Periodontal disease also appeared to be strongly influenced by age and number of CC. Prevention programs for schoolchildren have had a positive impact on BMI. Conclusion, this research suggests the strong relationship between eating habits, BMI and oral health and supports the necessity for health education and health promotion programs for schoolchildren.

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