Association between nutritional status and early childhood caries risk profile in a sub-urban nigeria community.

BACKGROUND Malnutrition is associated with oral health problems. AIM To determine the association between malnutrition (undernourished and over-nourished) and early childhood caries (ECC) in a sub-urban population in Nigeria. DESIGN Data were extracted from a database of a household survey of 1549 under 6-years-old children. Explanatory variables were nutritional status (normal, undernourished [wasted, stunted and underweight], or over-nourished). The outcome measure was the prevalence of ECC. Children's socio-demographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, sex, age) and caries-risk variables (frequency of sugar consumption in-between-meals, oral hygiene status) were the confounders. Association between ECC and malnutrition was determined using Poisson regression analysis. Statistical significance was set at p≤0.05. RESULTS About one-third (31.4%) of children had expected height/weight for age; 848(54.7%) were under-nourished; and 215(13.9%) were over-nourished. Nutritional status was not significantly associated with the prevalence of ECC. Children who consumed sugar in-between-meals three or more times a day were twice as likely to have ECC as were those who consumed sugar less often in-between-meals (APR:2.23; 95% CI:1.30-3.81; p=0.003). Children 3-5-years-old were more likely to have ECC than were those 0-2-years-old (APR: 2.40; 95% CI:1.10-5.22; p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS ECC was not associated with undernourished and over-nourished in a sub-urban population in Nigeria.