The relationship between children's body mass index and periodontal status

Abstract

Background: Childhood obesity is a serious medical condition that affects children and adolescents. Being overweight and obese are important risk factors for various adult diseases including diabetes, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular disease, hypertension, and periodontal diseases. This study aimed to compare the periodontal findings in obese children with those exhibiting normal body mass. Materials and Methods: In the present retrospective cohort study, 108 children, 12 years of age, were randomly assigned to the two groups with equal gender distribution, selected from the schools in Yazd, Iran: obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥25) and nonobese (BMI 0.05). Conclusions: The periodontal indices of PI, BOP, and PD in obese children were significantly higher than in children with a normal weight. However, there was no statistically significant difference in CAL between the two groups.

Keywords

• body mass index
• gingivitis
• obesity
• periodontitis