Body mass index and its association with oral disorders: A review

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic disease with global epidemic spread. The world wide prevalence of obesity is a considerable source of concern given its potential impact on morbidity, mortality and cost of health care. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recognized obesity as a predisposing factor to measure chronic diseases ranging from cardiovascular diseases to cancer. Once considered a problem only in wealthy countries, WHO estimates overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low and middle income countries. The disturbing squeals of this increased trajectory of overweight populations are the parallel increases in chronic diseases that are co-morbidities of obesity. Primary health care providers, including dental professionals, are well-positioned to address this public health problem at the patient level. Dental professionals must be aware of the increasing numbers of the obese patients and of the significance of obesity as a multiple risk factor syndrome for oral and overall health. Dental professionals have a crucial role in the prevention and detection of many oral and systemic diseases because of their diagnostic and screening abilities as well as the frequency of patient visits. These invaluable skills and practice paradigms should be considered as part of the equation to solve one of the largest public health concerns of our time: the obesity epidemic. Ultimately, a health condition as prevalent and serious as obesity must be approached by a concerted and collaborative effort of many disciplines and organizations. The dental profession should include itself in this collaboration using the tools and education opportunities available. Although the connection between oral health and obesity is critical to understand, it should not be the sole motivating factor for taking action. Keywords: Body mass index, body weight, body height, adipose tissue, overweight, morbidity, mortality.