The Influence of Oral Inflammation on Timing of Dental Eruption

Nationwide, approximately one-third of children are overweight or obese. Rates are even higher in some regions. In Chicago, nearly 50% of children are overweight or obese. Obesity is a systemic disease with important downstream effects on oral healthy. Inflammation is associated with obesity, which may lead to increased marginal gingival bleeding, higher plaque scores, increased caries rates and potentially even advanced dental development.

This prospective clinical study assessed the effects of obesity and its involvement in oral health. Thirty-five children ten to twelve years of age were recruited from the University of Illinois College of Dentistry Pediatric department. Panoramic radiographs were obtained from each participant’s dental health records. Plaque index scoring and marginal gingival bleeding were recorded for each participant to assess whether there is a correlation between oral health and obesity. Dental age was calculated to evaluate tooth development. Dental age was then subtracted from patient’s chronologic age, at the time of the radiograph, to obtain the difference in dental development relative to actual age (i.e., average, delayed, precocious).

Obese children showed higher average plaque scores (p<0.001) and a greater frequency of bleeding during treatment (p=0.004). In the current preliminary sample, we found no evidence for a difference in timing of dental development across our two BMI groups (p=0.98). The higher plaque scores and more frequent bleeding during treatment are preliminary evidence that obese children may have more oral inflammation.