Higher dietary cholesterol heightens the risk for ECC among preschoolers

Early childhood caries (ECC) poses a significant challenge for pediatric dentists globally, with dietary factors playing a crucial role in its development. Limited research exists on how nutrient intake from Chinese diets influences ECC. 

A new study examined the relationship between dietary nutrient intake and both ECC and caries activity (CA) in children aged 3-5 years, offering dietary recommendations to mitigate ECC's progression.

This was a cross-sectional study, conducted in 2022 involving 155 children who were categorized into – caries-free, ECC, and Severe ECC (SECC) groups. The participants were also divided based on the caries activity test (CAT), into – low, middle, and high CA groups. The dietary intake of these children was recorded over 24 hours using a mobile app; nutrient intake was calculated according to the "China Food Composition Tables."

Overall, there were 17 caries-free children, 39 with ECC, and 99 with SECC. In the CA group, 33 belonged to the low CA group, 36 in the middle, and 86 in the high CA group. An increased risk of ECC was associated with a higher intake of cholesterol and magnesium, while iron intake decreased the risk. Similarly, SECC risk rose with cholesterol intake; high CA was also linked to higher cholesterol intake. The combined assessment of total calories, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium, magnesium, and selenium had an ROC curve area of 0.741 for predicting ECC.

From the results, it was inferred that higher dietary cholesterol is a common risk factor for ECC and high CA in children aged 3-5. The combined evaluation of specific nutritional components offers valuable predictive insight into ECC occurrence. These findings provide a basis for dietary guidance in preventing ECC and suggest a model for predicting and slowing its development.

Source: Ma S, Ma Z, Wang X, etal. BMC Pediatrics. 2024 Aug 7;24.