Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 17;21(1):105.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph21010105.

Association between Short Stature at Grade 1 and Permanent Teeth Caries at Grade 6 in Elementary School Children in Japan: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Ayako Suzuki  1 , Yukako Tani  2 , Tatsuhiko Anzai  3 , Aya Isumi  4 , Satomi Doi  4 , Takuya Ogawa  1 , Keiji Moriyama  1 , Takeo Fujiwara  2   5
Affiliations

Association between Short Stature at Grade 1 and Permanent Teeth Caries at Grade 6 in Elementary School Children in Japan: A Population-Based Cohort Study

Ayako Suzuki et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Short stature in children is a marker of low nutritional status and has been suggested to be associated with dental caries. However, longitudinal studies on this topic are scarce. Data from a longitudinal study of elementary school children in Adachi City, Tokyo, Japan, were analyzed. In 2015, caregivers of children at grade 1 answered questionnaires, and information on dental caries and height measured at school health checkups was merged and followed to grade 6 (N = 3576; follow up rate = 83.3%). The association between short stature at grade 1 (-2.01 standard deviation (SD)--3.00 SD, or <-3.00 SD in height-for-age according to the World Health Organization criteria) and the number of decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth (DMFT) at grade 6 was examined using multivariable Poisson regression with robust standard error. After adjusting for confounders, children with a short stature at grade 1 had a higher DMFT number at grade 6: the mean ratios (95% confidence interval) were 1.17 (0.89-1.54) and 2.18 (1.03-4.64) for children with a height-for-age -2.01 SD--3.00 SD, and those with a height-for-age < -3.00, respectively. Short stature at grade 1 could be a marker of future dental caries in the permanent teeth at grade 6.

Keywords: children; dental caries; short stature.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of study participants.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kassebaum N.J., Smith A.G.C., Bernabé E., Fleming T.D., Reynolds A.E., Vos T., Murray C.J.L., Marcenes W., GBD 2015 Oral Health Collaborators Global, Regional, and National Prevalence, Incidence, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for Oral Conditions for 195 Countries, 1990–2015: A Systematic Analysis for the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors. J. Dent. Res. 2017;96:380–387. doi: 10.1177/0022034517693566. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Kazeminia M., Abdi A., Shohaimi S., Jalali R., Vaisi-Raygani A., Salari N., Mohammadi M. Dental caries in primary and permanent teeth in children’s worldwide, 1995 to 2019: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Head Face Med. 2020;16:22. doi: 10.1186/s13005-020-00237-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Japanese Ministry of Eduation, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Annual Report of School Health Statistics Research. 2020. [(accessed on 27 June 2023)]. Available online: http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/toukei/chousa05/hoken/1268826.htm.
    1. Alsumait A., ElSalhy M., Raine K., Cor K., Gokiert R., Al-Mutawa S., Amin M. Impact of dental health on children’s oral health-related quality of life: A cross-sectional study. Health Qual. Life Outcomes. 2015;13:98. doi: 10.1186/s12955-015-0283-8. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Horowitz A.M., Anderson P.F. Methods employed for other systematic reviews. J. Dent. Educ. 2001;65:969–971. doi: 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2001.65.10.tb03471.x. - DOI - PubMed