Correlation between Caries, Body Mass Index and Occlusion in an Italian Pediatric Patients Sample: A Transverse Observational Study

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between caries, body mass index (BMI) and occlusion in a sample of pediatric patients. Methods: The study group included 127 patients (72 female, 55 male) aged between 6 and 16 years (mean age 10.2) and selected between January and June 2019 at the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Messina. Caries incidence was evaluated using the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index. On the basis of BMI values, using a table adjusted for age and gender, patients were grouped into four categories (underweight, normal weight, risk of overweight, overweight). Results: There was no significant correlation between BMI and DMFT in the whole sample. The study of the correlation between BMI and DMFT in patients with different types of malocclusion showed a significant inverse correlation for patients affected by II class and deepbite malocclusion. Conclusions: The incidence of caries does not seem to be significantly related to BMI and occlusal patterns, but it decreases with increasing age.