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Relationship between Frequency of Sugary Food and Drink Consumption with Occurrence of Dental Caries among Preschool Children in Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur

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Dental caries are attributed to various factors including diet. The present crosssectional study determined the frequency of sugary food and drink consumption and defined its relationship to dental caries among preschool children. A total of 50 preschoolers (aged 5-6 years) in three kindergartens of the Department of Community Development (KEMAS) in Titiwangsa, Kuala Lumpur participated in this study. A set of structured questionnaires was used to assess the frequency of sugary food and drink consumption. Dental check ups were performed by a dentist. The dft index (decayed, filled teeth) was used to describe incidence of caries in subjects. Results showed that 62% of the subjects had dental caries. with the mean dft score being 3.72. The frequency of sugary food consumption by the majority of subjects was 2 times a day, while the frequency of sugary drink consumption was more than 3 times a day. There was no significant relationship between frequency of sugary food and drink consumption with incidence of caries. Subjects with high dft scores were more likely to report dental pain. The prevalence of dental caries in preschoolers in this study was high, indicating a need for effective dental health promotion to improve dental health status of this age group.
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... As a developing country, Malaysia also reported higher than 2 of 14 average consumption of sugar, with 19 teaspoons per day instead of the 6-9 teaspoons of sugar recommended by the United States Food and Drug Administration [8,9]. It was further discovered that young children in Malaysia were more likely to have caries when they consumed sugary foods and beverages more frequently than three times per day, above the World Health Organisation (WHO) limit [10,11]. According to Sheiham & James [12], one of the major reasons for ineffective control of caries is that most dental researchers and planners have concentrated on preventing caries at the individual level while ignoring the fundamental point that the severity of caries affects not only individuals but the population as well. ...
... According to the local studies by Ruhaya, et al. [40] and Amarra, Khor and Chan [11], schoolchildren in Malaysia consume a high-sugar diet, with sweetened foods for snacking and refreshment. The preschoolers in Malaysia consumed sweet foods and beverages more than two times a day, which exceeded the recommendation by the WHO [10]. Therefore, the high-sugar diet has influenced the reduction of caries-free prevalence among the population, as discussed in many studies [41][42][43][44]. ...
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This study identified caries-free associated factors and conducted multivariable projections of the caries-free prevalence until 2030 among six-, 12-, and 16-year-old schoolchildren in Malaysia. It was a secondary data analysis of caries-free prevalence and potential associated factors obtained from the Health Information Management System (HIMS), Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), and Food Balance Sheets (FBS). Multiple linear regression and regression with ARMA errors were employed to determine the associated factors and predict the caries-free prevalence from 2019 or 2020 until 2030 for the six-, 12-, and 16-year-old groups, respectively. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and household income, sugar consumption, and water fluoridation were significantly associated with caries-free status, with the most impactful in all age groups being water fluoridation. With the projected values of the associated factors, the caries-free prevalence in schoolchildren of all age groups in Malaysia is predicted to increase in the next decade. Similar to the past decade, the prevalence trend will remain the highest among the 12-year-olds and the lowest among six-year-olds. Caries-free prevalence was predicted to increase by 9.10%, 15.52%, and 15.10% in the six-, 12-, and 16-year-old groups, respectively. The prevalence multiplied the highest at four times greater than in the past ten years among 16-year-olds, compared with less than 2% in the six- and 12-year-old groups. In conclusion, by factoring in economic factors, sugar consumption, water fluoridation, and age groups, the caries-free prevalence of schoolchildren in Malaysia is projected to increase at different rates in the next decade until 2030. Thus, strategic oral health plans to recognise effective promotion programmes and strengthen others for each age group are crucial.
... [17], według którego słodycze były spożywane przez dzieci średnio 2-3 razy w tygodniu. U autorów innych badań [11,12,16,18,19] także stwierdzono częste spożywanie słodyczy oraz wyrobów cukierniczych przez dzieci w wieku przedszkolnym. W wielu badaniach przedstawiono wpływ nadmiaru słodyczy i produktów dosładzanych na zwiększone ryzyko wystąpienia m.in. ...
... Ryc. 3. Rodzaje napojów podawanych dzieciom przez rodziców (n = 80). Fig. 3 wzrostu masy ciała, zaburzeń lipidowych i próchnicy [2,18,20,21]. Wśród najchętniej podawanych słodyczy rodzice w badaniu własnym wymieniali ciastka i czekoladę. W polskim sposobie żywienia obserwuje się wysoką konsumpcję tego typu produktów, które są bogatym źródłem nasyconych kwasów tłuszczowych. ...
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STRESZCZENIE Wstęp: Nadwaga i otyłość to jedne ze współczesnych problemów zdrowia publicznego, które szczególnie dotyczą dzieci i młodzieży. Do czynników mających wpływ na nadmier-ną masę ciała zalicza się głównie brak aktywności fi zycznej, a także spożywanie produk-tów obfi tujących w węglowodany proste, którymi są: słodycze, owoce, niektóre produkty zbożowe, soki, gazowane i niegazowane napoje oraz wody smakowe. Celem pracy było poznanie źródeł pokarmowych węglowodanów wśród dzieci w wieku 2-6 lat oraz ocena świadomości rodziców na temat zawartości węglowodanów prostych zamieszczonej na opakowaniach produktów spożywczych. Materiał i metody badań: Badanie przeprowadzono w okresie od lutego do maja 2018 r. we wrocławskich żłobkach i przedszkolach wśród 80 rodziców. W celu uzyskania wyni-ków posłużono się walidowanym kwesঞ onariuszem, składającym się z pytań zamkniętych. Obliczeń dokonano za pomocą programu Microso[ Excel 2010 oraz programu Stat So[ Staঞ sঞ ca 13.3. Wyniki: Dosładzanie napojów zadeklarowało ponad 56% rodziców. Najczęściej dosładzano ciepłe napoje miodem. Ponad 44% dzieci słodycze spożywało 1-2 razy w tygodniu. Połowa ankietowanych (40 osób) deklarowała spożywanie warzyw przez dzieci 2-3 razy dziennie. Na zawartość cukru na opakowaniu zawsze zwracało uwagę 47,5% rodziców (38 osób). Wnioski: Niezbędna jest edukacja żywieniowa rodziców i korygowanie ich zachowań kon-sumenckich, szczególnie w zakresie informacji o składnikach odżywczych znajdujących się na opakowaniach produktów spożywczych. Ma to znaczenie w prewencji wielu przewle-kłych chorób niezakaźnych, w tym nadwagi i otyłości. Słowa kluczowe: cukry, dzieci, świadomość, słodycze ABSTRACT Introducঞ on: Main factors contribuঞ ng to an excessive weight include lack of physical acঞ vity and consumpঞ on of food products rich in simple carbohydrates such as: sweets, fruits, some wheat products, juices and so[ drinks. The aim of this study was to explore the dietary sources of carbohydrates in children aged 2-6 and to assess parental awareness of simple carbohydrate content on food product packaging. praca oryginalna/original article
... In Malaysia, the prevalence of dental caries done among children was between 70-90% (Wan Salina et al., 2007;Zahara et al., 2010;Oo et al., 2011;Ruhaya et al., 2012). This has been observed to be increasing in the last couple of years. ...
... This could possibly then explain the relationship with dental caries. However, our study did not prove this, which was similar to other previous study (Zahara et al., 2010). Sugar consumption was not a predictor of dental caries development after conducting the regression analysis. ...
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This study aimed to assess the nutritional status (BMI), oral health behaviour, sugar consumption and the associated factors with dental caries among a group of 7 to 11 years old children in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Three hundred and twelve students were recruited from February to July 2013. Information gathered were their socio-demographic characteristics, body mass index, sugar consumption, oral-health behaviour, oral hygiene index and decay-missing-filled teeth (dmft) index. Anthropometry measurements and sugar intake was measured using verified tools. Meanwhile, dmft was examined using the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. 53.7% of the children were of the normal body weight with mean sugar consumption of 31.81±4.24 g/day. Prevalence of dental caries was reported at 44.6% (95% CI: 42.2, 53.3) with a mean (SD) dmft of 1.27(1.84). No association was found between dental caries and weight status distribution. Most children tend to brush their teeth 2 times or more in a day (75%), however, they spent lesser time in tooth brushing (5.4%) and do not practice flossing (78%). Regression analysis showed that age (p<0.001), duration of teeth brushing (p=0.023) and the oral hygiene index (p=0.002) were significant predictors of dental caries among this group of children. Present findings suggest that younger children, longer time taken to brush teeth and poorer oral hygiene index were predisposing factors in dental caries, especially for young children. Hence, education on dental health is important to improve oral health behaviour and oral hygiene practices to further reduce dental caries incidences among young children.
... All the information was collected in a questionnaire from the children who participated in the study. [7] Examination All the subjects were clinically examined by one trained dentist under field conditions that included gloves, disposable mirrors, and probes for every child. The study was performed under natural light and the examination of caries was carried out in a systematic fashion using Federation Dentaire Internationale FDI tooth numbering system. ...
... It is a well-known fact that dental health depends on the individual`s diet, so people who abuse carbohydrate foods, sweets, fast food, snacks have a large number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT index), which indicates high activity of the carious process (3 -5). The frequency of consumption of products containing sugar is directly proportional to the intensity of the carious process (6,7). ...
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Obesity is a global problem of modern society. According to the WHO, in 2016, more than 1.9 billion adults are overweight and about 650 million adults are obese. Numerous studies indicate the role of overweight, obesity and metabolic status on periodontal health, however, the mechanism of their development is not fully understood. The aim of the study was to explore the mechanism of periodontal disease development in patients with diverse body mass index and the mechanism of extra weight and obesity onset in these patients. The study involved 132 Ukrainian males and females, 18-22 years old. Body mass index was determined in all patients. Information on life history, illness and family history was collected. The assessment of dental status was conducted by indicating the oral and tongue hygiene indices and periodontal indices. Eating behaviour was assessed using the standardised Dutch eating behaviour questionnaire (DEBG) and the three-factor eating questionnaire (TFEQ R-18). Diet assessment was determined by standardized diet questionnaire. More than 60% of young people with the 1 st and 2 nd degree obesity had eating disorders, the most prevalent were disturbance of cognitive restraint and emotional eating components of eating behavior. The prevalence of periodontal disease was significantly higher in obese individuals, up to 87% in patients with the 1 st and 2 nd degree obesity. Eating behavior disturbances play a crucial role in the development of obesity in young adults and onset of gingivitis. The cause of non-plaque-induced gingivitis in patients with the 1 st and 2 nd degree obesity is a impaired general host response to the pathogenic factors of the oral cavity, caused by excess adipose tissue, which led to the development of chronic systemic mild inflammation. That is why these patients need a specific, integrated periodontal treatment.
... Nutrition, however, has a systemic effect on the integrity of the oral cavity, including teeth, periodontium (supporting structure of the teeth), oral mucosa, and alveolar bone. Alterations in nutrient intake secondary to change in diet intake, absorption, metabolism, or excretion can affect the integrity of the teeth, surrounding tissues, and bone as well as the response to wound healing [28]. Sugars are undoubtedly the most important dietary constituent and the factor studied most often in the development of dental caries. ...
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Original Research Article Dental caries is the most common disease in children and up to eight times more prevalent than asthma ranked the second among all the common diseases in the world. The food habits and some types of food play an important role in induce dental caries. The objective of this study is to assess the relationship between, dietary intake, dietary habits, oral hygiene practices and dental caries during childhood. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 150 children that were selected at random from public hospitals in Benghazi, Libya. Data was obtained by using a questionnaire containing information about the number of carious teeth, dietary intake, habits and oral hygiene habits. The relationship between the risk factors and dental caries was modelled using, Statistics Package Social Science (SPSS). There was a significant statistical difference in the average dental caries among children at (P<0.05) according to sugar amount consumption (P=0.02), as well as to tooth brushing per day (P= 0.03). The average dental caries decreased with increase in times of tooth brushing per day. The prevalence of dental caries in children was an average of 3 carious lesions. Socio-demographic factors, dietary and oral hygiene habits were associated with dental caries.
... These may then be used in measuring cariogenic food intake and oral health KAp in the Malaysian population, specifically for parents of preschool and primary school children. previous local studies had used the translated questionnaires that applied to other age groups, namely secondary school children, infants and toddlers (Cheah et al., 2010;Mani et al., 2010;Zahara et al., 2010: Mani et al. 2012Ruhaya et al., 2012). The reliability and validity of these questionnaires were only partially reported. ...
Article
Introduction: Cariogenic food intake and oral health knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of parents are contributing factors that influence the oral health status of children. As there is lack of a validated questionnaire in Bahasa Melayu (the Malay language) to measure the factors, this cross-sectional study was carried out to establish a linguistically valid and reliable cariogenic food frequency questionnaire (M-CFFQ) and oral health KAP questionnaire (M-OHKAPQ) in Bahasa Melayu, for parents of children aged 6-11 years in Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Methods: Relevant questionnaires in English were selected and translated to Malay language. This process included forward translation, synthesis, backward translation and consolidation to produce the preliminary drafts of M-CFFQ and M-OHKAPQ. Pretesting was conducted on ten parents of children from a primary school in Kota Bharu by face-to-face interview. The findings were reviewed to produce the final versions of M-CFFQ and M-OHKAPQ. A test-retest reliability study was undertaken involving 49 parents. The participants were asked to answer the final M-CFFQ and M-OHKAPQ versions twice, within a 7-14 days interval. Data collected were entered into IBM SppS version 22 software and analysed using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) test. Results: Semantic, idiomatic, experiential, conceptual as well as content and face validity issues were successfully resolved. Fifteen categories of food/drinks for M-CFFQ and 26 items/questions M-OHKAPQ were produced. The total ICC values achieved for M-CFFQ and M-OHKAPQ were 0.887 and 0.807, respectively. Conclusion: The M-CFFQ and M-OHKAPQ appeared to be linguistically valid and reliable with excellent test-retest reliability (ICC>0.80).
Article
Objective To determine the association of diet and dietary practices with dental caries among adults. Design A case-control study. Setting Operative Department, Rawal Institute of Health Sciences, Islamabad, Pakistan. Participants 300 participants of both genders, aged 25–50 years. Interventions A food frequency questionnaire and a patient proforma were used to determine the frequency and preferences of diet and dietary habits that may be associated with dental caries among adults, respectively. The diet and dietary habits of 150 adults with caries (cases) were compared with those of 150 adults without dental caries (control). An independent sample T-test was applied to determine the difference in mean age. Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square tests were applied to determine the significance of diet and dietary habits respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis determined the odd ratio change in significant variables. P-value ≤0.05 was considered significant. Results Refined sugar (p-value = 0.69), fruit juices (p-value = 0.45), carbonated beverages (p-value = 0.91), duration of consumption of sugary food (p-value = 0.07), and frequency of brushing (p-value = 0.15) were not found to be significantly associated with dental caries in adults. The gender (p-value = 0.02), preferred time for eating sugary foods (p-value <0.001), smoking (p-value <0.001), and tea consumption (p-value = 0.02) were found to be significantly associated with dental caries. Conclusion Adults who regularly consumed sugar as a snack other than regular mealtimes were more likely to be associated with dental caries. Men, smokers, and adults who frequently took shots of sugar with their tea were more likely to be associated with dental caries.
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Dental caries is a highly prevalent chronic disease and its consequences cause a lot of pain and suffering. Sugars, particularly sucrose, are the most important dietary aetiological cause of caries. Both the frequency of consumption and total amount of sugars is important in the aetiology of caries. ‘ The evidence establishing sugars as an aetiological factor in dental caries is overwhelming. The foundation of this lies in thenmultiplicity of studies rather than the power of any one .’ ¹ . That statement by the British Nutrition Foundation's Task Force on Oral Health, Diet and Other Factors, sums up the relationship between sugars and caries in Europe. There is no evidence that sugars naturally incorporated in the cellular structure of foods (intrinsic sugars) or lactose in milk or milk products (milk sugars) have adverse effects on health. Foods rich in starch, without the addition of sugars, play a small role in coronal dental caries. The intake of extrinsic sugars beyond four times a day leads to an increase risk of dental caries. The current dose-response relationship between caries and extrinsic sugars suggests that the sugars levels above 60 g/person/day for teenagers and adults increases the rate of caries. For pre-school and young children the intakes should be proportional to those for teenagers; about 30 g/person/day for pre-school children. Fluoride, particularly in toothpastes, is a very important preventive agent against dental caries. Toothbrushing without fluorides has little effect on caries. As additional fluoride to that currently available in toothpaste does not appear to be benefiting the teeth of the majority of people, the main strategy to further reduce the levels of caries, is reducing the frequency of sugars intakes in the diet. Dental erosion rates are considered to be increasing. The aetiology is acids in foodsand drinks and to a much lesser extent from regurgitation.
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This systematic review addresses the question: In the modern age of extensive fluoride exposure, do individuals with a high level of sugar intake experience greater caries severity relative to those with a lower level of intake? The MEDLINE and EMBASE databases were searched for English-language papers published between 1980 and 2000 using a search expression developed in conjunction with an experienced librarian. There were 809 papers located in the initial search. A review of titles and abstracts to identify clearly irrelevant papers reduced this number to 134. Two readers each read one half of these papers, and application of predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria reduced this number of papers to sixty-nine. Criteria were established for scoring the quality of each of these papers on evidence tables. The maximum score for each paper was 100; the sixty-nine papers rated scored between 12 and 79. Final judgment of results was limited to those thirty-six papers that scored 55 or higher on the evidence tables and that reported studies carried out in countries where there is moderate-to-extensive fluoride exposure. Results showed that only two papers found a strong relationship between sugar consumption and caries development, sixteen found a moderate relationship, and eighteen found weak-to-no relationship. It was concluded that the relationship between sugar consumption and caries is much weaker in the modern age of fluoride exposure than it used to be. Controlling the consumption of sugar remains a justifiable part of caries prevention, however, if not always the most important aspect.
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To report the dental caries experience of preschool children within the north Brisbane region and to investigate the association between selected social and demographic variables and disease presence. A cross-sectional sample of 2515 children aged four to six years was examined in a preschool setting using decayed, missing, filled teeth/surface (dmft/dmfs) and percentage caries free indices. A self-administered questionnaire obtained information regarding selected social and demographic variables. The data were analysed using the chi-square and one way analysis of variance procedures at the 5 per cent level of significance. Overall, 1668 (66.3 per cent) children were disease free at the examination and mean dmft was 1.4+/-2.77 and dmfs was 2.28+/-6.00. Dental caries occurred more frequently and severely in children from non-Caucasian background (p<0.000), family language other than English (p=0.001) and lower socio-economic status (p<0.000). Significant associations between child ethnicity, language spoken at home, socio-economic status and caries presence have been identified. Epidemiological data can be used for improved public oral health service planning and resource allocation within the region.
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To determine prevalence and severity of early childhood caries (ECC) among children in northern Philippines. Further, to describe and determine the impact of child-rearing practices and dental visits on caries status. Cross-sectional survey of 993 children aged 2-6 years. Caries was diagnosed based on WHO recommendations. Additional behavioral information was obtained from 452 children aged 3-6 years. Caries prevalence and mean dmft (+/-SD) by age were as follows: 2 years = 59% (4.2 +/- 5.3); 3 years = 85% (7.4 +/- 5.5); 4 years = 90% (8.8 +/- 5.6); 5 years = 94% (9.8 +/- 5.5); and 6 years = 92% (10.1 +/- 5.5). Caries rates mirrored those of developing countries with untreated lesions dominating all ages. Mixed breast and bottle feeding was the norm. Almost half were weaned at more than 2 years old. Majority had toothbrushing practices, but mostly without parental assistance. Toothbrushing was initiated at an average age of 2 years. Only a small proportion had a dental visit, mostly for emergency reasons. Among 3-4-year-old children, a significant increase in caries levels were noted for those who started brushing at a later age, had frequent snacks, and had a dental visit for emergency reasons. For children aged 5-6 years, those who went for emergency visits also had significantly more caries. Results indicated an urgent need to (i) increase awareness that ECC is a public health problem in these areas, (ii) advocate use of fluoride as a public health measure, and (iii) increase access to preventive dental services for preschool children.
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There is little if any evidence that nutrition during the time of tooth formation has any clinically significant effect on caries susceptibility of erupted teeth in man. Caries, erosion and demastication are not nutritional diseases. They are, however, diet-related diseases because erupted teeth are subject to local chemical and mechanical effects of the diet contacting the teeth. Caries is the result of a chronic undermining demineralisation of the teeth by organic acids that are produced by the bacteria of the dental biofilm while fermenting carbohydrates from the human diet. Dental erosion is the result of a chronic localised loss of dental hard tissue etched away from the surface by acids derived from the diet or from gastric reflux. The physicochemical grounds of de- and remineralisation of teeth are explained using detailed diagrams. Initial caries lesions without cavitation of the surface can remineralise (heal) under conditions of low cariogenic diet and good oral hygiene. However, once the surface has broken and cavitation occurred, there is no alternative to restorative dental therapy because remineralisation is no more possible.
Guidelines on Oral Healthcare for
  • Malaysia Kementerian Kesihatan
Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (Ministry of Health) (2003). Guidelines on Oral Healthcare for Preschool Children: 3-4.