Nutritional status and dental health among 3–6-year-old children.

What is it about?

Nutrition promotes healthy development and maintenance of oral health. Chronic malnutrition affects tooth exfoliation and renders the permanent teeth susceptible to caries. Malnutrition is a serious public health problem. The presence of enamel hypoplasia may be a predisposing factor in the initiation and progression of dental caries and a predictor of increased caries susceptibility in malnourished children.

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Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Malnutrition increases susceptibility to infections while an infection aggravates malnutrition by decreasing appetite, inducing catabolism, and increasing demand for nutrients. The increased susceptibility to infections may be caused by impairment in immune function due to malnutrition. early malnutrition affects tooth structure, causes a delay in tooth eruption, and results in increased dental caries. It has also been found that chronic malnutrition not only affects tooth exfoliation but also renders the permanent teeth susceptible to caries later in life. The presence of enamel hypoplasia may be a predisposing factor in the initiation and progression of dental caries and a predictor of increased caries susceptibility in malnourished children.

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