Childhood obesity and dental disease: combined role of the pediatrician and pediatric dentist

Abstract

Dental caries and obesity represent growing epidemics in the child population. Obesity in childhood can lead to a host of medical and emotional problems in adulthood. Dental caries can have significant detrimental effects on a child's growth due to impairment of oral functions. Since a child regularly encounters pediatricians throughout childhood, it is important that pediatricians be aware of the possible correlations between obesity and dental disease. The purpose of this article is to review the causes of childhood obesity, discuss the relevance of obesity to dental disease, and highlight some of the actions pediatricians and pediatric dentists can conjointly adopt to prevent and decrease the risk of both these diseases.

Keywords

• overweight, fatness, metabolic syndrome, exercise, adiposity