Association between Dental Caries and Delayed Growth in Korean Children.

The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship of dental caries with anthropometric outcomes in 4- to 6-year-old children participating in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). The sample size was 1,910 children from the 4th and 5th KNHANES. The caries status was assessed with the decayed and filled teeth index in primary dentition (dft score). We employed height for age, body weight for age, and body mass index for age as outcome variables. Age, gender, region, and income were confounders. Nutritional deficiency as a mediator in the association between dental caries and delayed growth was also examined. A series of logistic regression analyses estimated the magnitude of association between dental caries and unfavorable growth after adjustment of the confounders and the mediator. Those with a high dft score were more likely to be deficient in nutrition (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.14-2.74). After adjusting for sociodemographic factors and nutritional deficiency, we also found that a high dft score was associated with low weight (OR 1.70, 95% CI 1.15-2.51). The influence of dental caries on delayed growth was found in Korean representative children.

Exposure to occupational noise and periodontitis in Korean workers.

BACKGROUND: Chronic exposure to occupational noise is reported to cause a wide range of health problems. But, there are no reports on studies investigating the association between noise exposure and periodontitis. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between occupational noise exposure and periodontitis in a nationally representative sample of Korean workers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 4th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The study sample included 8,927 workers aged 19 to 54 years. Noise exposure assessment was performed by using self-report questionnaires. The dependent variable was periodontitis. Age, sex, perceived stress level, place of residence, income, education, health behaviors (frequency of daily toothbrushing, binge drinking, smoking status, regular dental checkup), diabetes, obesity, and white blood cell count were included as covariates. Logistic regression analyses estimated the association between noise exposure and periodontitis after sequential adjustment. RESULTS: Compared with never-exposed individuals, participants exposed to occupational noise had an increased prevalence of periodontitis. The association remained significant after full adjustment of covariates (odds ratio [OR] 1.34; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06 to 1.70). Association of noise exposure with periodontitis was particularly strong for individuals aged < 45 years (OR 1.65; 95% CI 1.22 to 2.23). CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that there is an association between occupational noise exposure and periodontitis in a representative sample of Korean workers. Policy efforts to improve workplace noise environments might have an effect on improving periodontal health status among Korean workers.