Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to Assess Dental Caries, Overweight and Obesity in Schoolchildren in the City of Alfenas, Brazil

Iago Ramirez, Diego Escobar Alves, Patrick Calvano Kuchler, Isabela Ribeiro Madalena, Daniela Coelho de Lima, Mariane Carolina Faria Barbosa, Maria Angelica Hueb de Menezes Oliveira, Geraldo Thedei Júnior, Flares Baratto-Filho, Erika Calvano Küchler and Daniela Silva Barroso de Oliveira ()
Additional contact information
Iago Ramirez: Department of Clinic and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas 37130-001, Brazil
Diego Escobar Alves: Institute of Geography, Department of Physical Geography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ/IGEOG/DGF), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro 25550-013, Brazil
Patrick Calvano Kuchler: Institute of Geography, Department of Physical Geography, Rio de Janeiro State University (UERJ/IGEOG/DGF), Rua São Francisco Xavier, 524, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro 25550-013, Brazil
Isabela Ribeiro Madalena: Department of Biomaterials, University of Uberaba, Uberaba 35430-026, Brazil
Daniela Coelho de Lima: Department of Clinic and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas 37130-001, Brazil
Mariane Carolina Faria Barbosa: Department of Clinic and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas 37130-001, Brazil
Maria Angelica Hueb de Menezes Oliveira: Department of Biomaterials, University of Uberaba, Uberaba 35430-026, Brazil
Geraldo Thedei Júnior: Department of Biomaterials, University of Uberaba, Uberaba 35430-026, Brazil
Flares Baratto-Filho: Department of Dentistry, University of Joinville Region, Joinville 89219-710, Brazil
Erika Calvano Küchler: Department of Biomaterials, University of Uberaba, Uberaba 35430-026, Brazil
Daniela Silva Barroso de Oliveira: Department of Clinic and Surgery, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Alfenas, Alfenas 37130-001, Brazil

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-9

Abstract: Childhood-related obesity and overweight are increasing concerns for the health and well-being of children. Dental caries (decay) is the most prevalent oral disease during childhood, and several studies have suggested that nutritional status and dental caries are associated in children. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the geographic distribution of childhood overweight/obesity and dental caries in a medium-sized Brazilian city. This cross-sectional study was conducted with 269 children of both genders enrolled in four public schools in the city of Alfenas. The children were clinically examined to assess cavitated dental caries and nutritional status (overweight and obesity). In addition, the GIS was used for the geospatial clustering analyses. A heat map was created by the Kemel method to estimate the concentration of the outcomes. The cavitated dental caries and overweight/obesity were also pointed out by dots on the map. However, of the 269 children, 118 were boys (43.87%) and 151 were girls (56.13%). One hundred fifty-seven children (58.4%) were classified as having “non-cavitated caries,” while 112 (41.6%) were classified as having “cavitied caries.” In the nutritional status assessment, 204 children (75.84%) were classified as “eutrophic,” while 65 children (24.16%) were classified as “overweight/obesity,” A geographical correlation of dental caries with overweight/obesity may exist in the northeast and southwest areas. In conclusion, a geographical concordance between the dental caries and the occurrence of overweight/obesity among the schoolchildren from Alfenas may exist in some areas. Future studies are necessary.

Keywords: child; dental caries; nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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