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. 2023 Feb 27;13(5):902.
doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13050902.

Exploring an Association between Body Mass Index and Oral Health-A Scoping Review

Rakhi Issrani  1   2 , Jagat Reddy  2 , Alzarea K Bader  3 , Raghad Fayez H Albalawi  4 , Ebtehal Dhyab M Alserhani  4 , Danah Sultan R Alruwaili  4 , Gharam Radhi A Alanazi  4 , Naif Sultan R Alruwaili  5 , Mohammed Ghazi Sghaireen  3 , Krishna Rao  1
Affiliations

Exploring an Association between Body Mass Index and Oral Health-A Scoping Review

Rakhi Issrani et al. Diagnostics (Basel). .

Abstract

Background: Basal metabolic index (BMI) is a unique anthropometric indicator used to define the relative amount of body fat on an individual's frame. There are many diseases and conditions associated with obesity and underweight. Recent research trials suggest that there is a significant association between oral health indicators and BMI as both are attributed to common risk factors such as dietary, genetic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle issues.

Objectives: The main objective of this review paper is to emphasize the association between BMI and oral health with available literature evidence.

Methodology: A literature search was conducted using multiple databases comprising of MEDLINE (via PubMed), EMBASE, and Web of Science. The terms used for the search were "body mass index", "periodontitis", "dental caries", and "tooth loss".

Results: In total, 2839 articles were obtained from the analysis of the databases. Unrelated articles from the available full text of 1135 articles were excluded. The main reasons for excluding the articles were: they were dietary guidelines and policy statements. A total of 66 studies were finally included in the review.

Conclusion: The presence of dental caries, periodontitis and tooth loss may be associated with a higher BMI or obesity, whereas, improved oral health might be associated with lower BMI. Promoting general and oral health should be a hand in hand feature, as common risk factors can be embattled.

Keywords: basal metabolic index; dental caries; inflammation; obesity; oral health; periodontitis.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flowchart of study selection process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Probable connections between periodontal diseases and obesity.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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