Interpretation of the Relationship Between Caries Index and Body Mass Index in Infants by Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: The caries index is used to evaluate the  prevalence and severity of dental caries in a population; while the body mass index (BMI) is a measure used to evaluate the body weight of a person in relation to his or her height. Both variables are related, and more studies are needed to study them in greater depth. Objective: The aim of the study was to interpret the relationship between caries index and body mass index in infants by means of a literature review. Methods: The study corresponded to the exploratory research level and was observational, cross-sectional, and retrospective. The search was carried out in the Pubmed and Scielo databases, including articles published between 2012 and 2023 that dealt with the relationship between caries index and BMI in infants. Results: It was found that the relationship between caries index and BMI in infants has been the subject of study in the scientific literature in recent years. Several studies have analyzed the possible association between both variables, finding contradictory results in some cases. Conclusions: It is important to explore the relationship of caries  index with BMI in infants given that it is necessary to understand the factors that contribute to the development of dental caries and obesity in the child population. A more exhaustive literature review is recommended to provide an overview of the findings on the subject and to help identify possible areas for future research, on which they make some suggestions.