Poor food choices may lead to cavities in baby teeth and obesity

The increased consumption of sugary drinks might be linked to

rising rates of cavities in very young children, as well as obesity, a

U.S. study has found.

Researchers looked at 65 children, aged 2 to 5, who received treatment for cavities in baby teeth and found that nearly 28 percent of those kids had a body-mass index that indicated they were overweight.

That rate is 5 percent higher than the estimated national average for childhood overweight or obesity, the study authors explained in a news release from the University at Buffalo, in New York.

The researchers also found that about 71 percent of the children had a daily caloric intake higher than the normal 1,200 calories for their age group.

"We hypothesized that poor nutritional choices may link obesity and dental decay in young children, but there is very little published data associating these two health issues," first study author Dr. Kathleen Bethin, an associate professor of pediatrics at the University at Buffalo and director of the pediatric endocrinology and diabetes fellowship program at Women and Children's Hospital of Buffalo, said in the news release.

"The main point of our findings is that poor nutrition may link obesity to tooth decay. Thus the dental office . . . may be an ideal place to educate families about nutrition and the risks of obesity and dental decay," Bethin stated.

She added that there was "no difference in total calories consumed by the overweight and healthy weight kids, so the problem isn't overeating, per se, just making the wrong food choices."

An estimated 5 percent to 10 percent of youngsters in the United

States have early childhood cavities and childhood obesity has

more than tripled in the past three decades, affecting nearly one in

five kids by 2008, according to Healthy People 2010.

Perhaps, one way to avoid this rising problem in our young

children is to learn more about healthy food choices.  My next

article will provide healthy recipes for children.

There are number of pediatric dental offices in Norfolk, Virginia.

The following is a link providing this information:

http://www.healthgrades.com/pediatric-dentistry-directory/va-virginia/norfolk

Sharon’s free site:  http://www.babykidscanread.com