Oral Health and Nutritional Status of Children Dwelling in Urban and Suburban Areas

Background: Literature has suggested that there is evidence regarding the impact of nutritional status on the overall oral health of children and adolescents. The study objectives were to investigate oral health and nutritional status in children in terms of dietary intake, and to determine the anthropometric measures and correlate the oral health & nutritional status in urban and sub-urban children. Method: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 to March 2023. Total of 267 children from Urban and sub-urban regions age 12-18 years were included using the convenience sampling technique. Urban data was collected from Dow University’s dental OPD and private schools in Karachi, while suburban data was gathered from Long Khoso village near Hyderabad. Non-clinical data as well as clinical data which included oral examinations like dental caries status, oral hygiene status, periodontal condition, fluorosis malocclusion, and anthropometric measurements were gathered. SPSS v.21 was used to analyze data. Chi-square and correlation were applied between oral health status and anthropometric measurements. P-value ≤0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Area of residence was found to be significantly associated with habits, milk intake, oral hygiene practices, dental caries, and oral hygiene index (p-value < 0.001). A significant relationship was found between the area of residence and height (p-value 0.001). It was seen that anthropometric scores were low in suburban children. Conclusion: This study highlights a positive oral health status among all, with a high prevalence of healthy periodontal tissue and low caries severity reported in Urban as compared to suburban children.