The New York Times reports that hefty kids are less likely to have cavities, a new study shows.
EPA/DIEGO AZUBEL
The current journal of Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology, claims researchers at the Eastman Dental Center at the University of Rochester Medical Center analyzed data from nearly 18,000 children who participated in two separate major surveys that were part of the large and ongoing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
With kids aged 6 to 18, those who were overweight or at risk for becoming overweight had fewer cavities than kids of normal weight, the study found.
Questions now arise if it is the type of foods overweight kids like, or if it is the style of eatng - the "inhaling" effect where the food is wolfed down without much chewing.
The New York Times reports that the study presents one theory - that big children may actually be eating fewer cavity-causing sweets than normal weight kids and instead overeating fatty foods.
“We expected to find more oral disease in overweight children of all ages, given the similar causal factors that are generally associated with obesity and caries,” said Eastman Dental Center’s Dr. Dorota Kopycka-Kedzierawski, the lead author. “Our findings raise more questions than answers. Research to analyze both diet and lifestyle is needed to better understand the results.”
USA
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