Pediatric Dental Caries and Food Insecurity

Dental caries is a major public health problem. It is considered to be the most prevalent chronic disease worldwide. Pediatric dental caries not only causes pain and eating difficulties, it also affects speech, esthetics, sleep, growth pattern, social communications, self-esteem, academic performance, and quality of life.  In some conditions, untreated oral infections maybe so severe to the extent of causing systemic manifestations and consequently threatening children lives.

Low socio-economic status (SES) has been identified as a strong determinant of dental caries among children. As low SES is strongly linked to food insecurity, it is worthy to ask whether food insecurity can be a potential risk factor for this global threat.

Families that suffer from the food insecurity tend to prioritize quantity rather than quality in making their food-purchasing decisions. For example, they may go for sugar sweetened beverages that are less expensive and more accessible, however, in the same time, has a damaging effect on their children teeth.  Food insecure households may also live in food desserts which limit their food choices to processed food and snakes especially in the era of globalization where transnational corporations (TNCs) find such places as easy markets for a guaranteed high profit. Such types of food subject children to highly refined carbohydrates which are strong predictors of dental caries. Additionally, children living in food insecure houses, especially in the developing world, may take the responsibility of managing their food resources and options. In most cases, such management usually take the form of increasing the frequency of small non-healthy snakes that increase the periods of exposing their teeth to cariogenic food resulting in ideal conditions for oral bacteria to produce cariogenic acids that further potentiate caries risk.

Nowadays, most interventions tackling the global threat of dental caries focus mainly on preventive oral health behaviors such as teeth brushing, flossing, fluoride application, dental sealants, …etc. Although, such issues are extremely important, they can be potentiated by taking into consideration the social determinants of the threat and by addressing food insecurity especially within vulnerable populations who struggle under harsh structural and financial conditions.

Reference:

Chi DL, Masterson EE, Carle AC, Mancl LA, Coldwell SE. Socioeconomic status, food security, and dental caries in US children: mediation analyses of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2008. Am J Public Health. 2014 May;104(5):860-4