Dietary habits in a child population in relation to caries experience.

Sugar consumption in Spain has remained constant at around 80 g/day since the 1970s. Although intake as sugar has fallen considerably, to around 13.5 g/person/day, the intake in processed foods has risen. Meanwhile, caries prevalence is falling or stabilizing. This situation is common in developed countries, where the impact of diet on caries has altered, probably through greater use of fluoridated products. In the Valencia region, children habitually eat sugary foods and drinks and snacks that contain starches or sugars and starches. The present study analyzed the association between caries experience, quantified as the sum of the dfs and DMFS indices, and the consumption of cariogenic foods in a population of children between the ages of 6 and 10 with low caries prevalence. A self-administered food consumption frequency questionnaire filled in by the parents was used to evaluate how often the foods on the list were consumed by the children, which was then related to their caries experience. Sweet snacks, industrial bread and soft drink consumption showed a positive association with caries while cheese and nuts showed a negative association. Logistic regression suggested that consuming sugary liquids and foods rich in semi-hydrolyzed starch increased the chances of suffering caries by 1.05 and 1.13 respectively. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.