Influence of masticatory function, dental caries and socioeconomic status on the body mass index of preschool children.

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the influence of masticatory function, dental caries and socioeconomic status on the body mass index (BMI) of preschool children.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample of 285 children aged three to five years allocated to three groups based on the BMI: underweight, ideal weight and overweight/obesity. Socioeconomic status was determined based on the responses of parents/caregivers to a specific form.

Factors associated with masticatory performance among preschool children.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of the body mass index (BMI), food consistency, and oral problems on masticatory performance among preschool children.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a sample composed of 279 children between 3 and 5 years of age allocated to three groups (underweight, ideal weight, and overweight) based on the BMI. Moreover, eating habits, malocclusion, breathing type, masticatory units, and untreated dental caries were investigated.

Impact of untreated dental caries and its clinical consequences on the oral health-related quality of life of schoolchildren aged 8-10 years.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the impact of untreated dental caries and its clinical consequences on the quality of life of Brazilian schoolchildren aged 8-10 years.

Methods: A randomly selected sample of 587 children underwent a clinical oral examination for the assessment of untreated dental caries and clinical consequences. The WHO criteria (decayed component of the decayed, missing, and filled teeth--D-DMFT in permanent teeth or d-dfmt in primary teeth) and the PUFA index, which records the presence of severely decayed permanent (upper case) and primary (lower case) teeth with visible pulpal involvement (P/p), as well as ulceration caused by dislocated tooth fragments (U/u), fistula (F/f), and abscesses (A/a), were used for the oral examination.

Impact of dental caries on quality of life among preschool children: emphasis on the type of tooth and stages of progression.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the impact of dental caries on the quality of life of preschool children and their parents/caretakers, with an emphasis on the type of tooth and stage of progression. A randomly selected sample of preschool children, 3-5 yrs of age, underwent an oral examination for the assessment of dental caries using the International Caries Detection and Assessment System II (ICDAS II) criteria. Parents/caretakers answered two questionnaires, one on the oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) of the child [the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale (ECOHIS)], and the other on the socio-economic characteristics of the family.