ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICATORS AND DENTAL CARIES IN THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION OF RURAL COMMUNITIES IN THE PERUVIAN AMAZON: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

• Autores: Aquino-Canchari, Christian Renzo, Parraga Camayo, Ekaterina Fabiola, Ambrosio Huaman, Estrellita Naomi, Román Santiago, José Alejandro
• Formato: artículo
• Fecha de Publicación: 2025
• Institución: Universidad Científica del Sur
• Repositorio: Revistas - Universidad Científica del Sur
• Lenguaje: inglés
• OAI Identifier: oai:revistas.cientifica.edu.pe:article/3072
• Enlace del recurso: https://revistas.cientifica.edu.pe/index.php/odontologica/article/view/3072
• Nivel de acceso: acceso abierto
• Materia: dental caries; body mass index; nutritional status; rural population; child dental care; childhood obesity; fat distribution; caries dental; índice de masa corporal; estado nutricional; población rural; atención dental para niños; obesidad infantil; distribución de grasa corporal

Introduction: Dental caries and nutritional alterations are common in childhood, particularly in rural communities with limited access to health services. Objective: To determine the association between anthropometric indicators and the presence of dental caries in children aged 5 to 11 years from selected rural communities in the Peruvian Amazon. Methods: Cross-sectional study including 116 children from Llaylla, Pampa Hermosa, and Belén (Satipo, Junín). Body mass index for age (BMI/A), abdominal circumference for age (AC/A), and height for age (H/A) were assessed according to WHO and MINSA standards. Dental caries was evaluated using the DMFT/dmft index and the clinical consequences of untreated dental caries (pufa/PUFA). Associations between anthropometric variables and dental caries were analyzed using logistic regression adjusted for age and sex, with p<0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: Children with overweight/obesity had a higher risk of caries in permanent dentition (OR=3.875) and a lower risk in primary dentition (OR=0.539). Those with high or very high risk according to AC/A showed OR=0.968 in permanent dentition and OR=0.864 in primary dentition. Children with low height for age (H/A) presented OR=1.319 in permanent dentition and OR=1.757 in primary dentition. All associations were not statistically significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: Dental caries is highly prevalent among Amazonian children. Anthropometric indicators were not significantly associated with caries, suggesting the influence of other factors such as diet and access to dental care.