Childhood obesity, dental crowding, and dental arch dimensions

Childhood obesity influences timing of dental development and eruption, with some researchers suggesting that earlier dental development in children and adolescents with obesity may cause increased dental crowding. The aim of this study is to investigate the association of childhood obesity with dental crowding and arch width. Subjects were recruited from the University of Illinois Chicago’s College of Dentistry’s Orthodontic Clinic (n=148) and categorized into healthy, overweight, or obese body mass index (BMI) as defined by the Center of Disease (CDC) for children and adolescents. Mandibular intercanine distance and crowding (anterior TSALD score) was measured. Descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman’s rank correlation were employed to examine differences in dental crowding and intercanine distance by BMI category and percentile. Our results indicate that, although there was no association between BMI and dental crowding, there was a significant, moderate positive correlation with intercanine distance (p<0.001, rho=0.308). Contrary to some prior work, we see no evidence of increased crowding in children with high BMI. Notably, wider intercanine distances were observed which may instead contribute to decreased crowding. Although the cause of increased intercanine distance is unclear, this may reflect overall greater mandibular growth.