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

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.