Th e oral health status of healthy and obese children in a Turkish population: a cross-sectional study

Materials and methods: Th e study involved 43 healthy (19 boys and 24 girls, mean age: 9.88) and 53 obese (18 boys and 35 girls, mean age: 10.4) children who were admitted to a pediatric dentistry clinic in 2008 and 2009. Th e parents were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning medical history and dietary/oral hygiene habits. Th e number of decayed, missing, and fi lled permanent teeth (DMFT); number of decayed, missing, and fi lled primary teeth (dmft ); and gingival bleeding index (GBI) scores of patients were recorded. Statistical diff erences were evaluated using Student’s t-test and the Mann-Whitney U test and the nominal variables were tested with Pearson’s chi-square test and Fisher’s exact test (P ≤ 0.05).