Prevalence of malocclusion in obese children

ABSTRACT Objective To verify the prevalence of malocclusion in children being treated at the Children’s Obesity Center at the Varela Santiago Children’s Hospital in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. Methods Children of both sexes aged between 7 and 10 years were examined. The data of interest was collected through a clinical examination to detect malocclusions using the Dental Aesthetic Index, and nutritional data from medical records. The data obtained was organized and tabulated in spreadsheets and processed and analyzed using the Jamovi® statistical program. The comparison between patients with malocclusion and the independent variables was checked using the one-way ANOVA and Chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to assess the effect of the variables on the presence of malocclusion. Results with p-values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results 66 children were assessed, of whom 35 (53%) were male and 31 (47%) female. The prevalence of malocclusion was 54.54%, with no difference between genders. Significantly higher body mass index and weight values were observed in children with definite malocclusion. No variable studied had a significant impact on malocclusion in obese children. Conclusion Children with a definite malocclusion had significantly higher body mass index and weight. However, obesity seems not to be a determinant factor on malocclusion development.