Verification of the association between dental caries in children and eating vegetables at start of meals.

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K19310
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57080:Social dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Tokyo Medical and Dental University
• Principal Investigator: Ito Kanade 東京医科歯科大学, 大学院医歯学総合研究科, 助教 (10736474)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: う蝕 / 野菜 / ベジファースト / 小児

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Using population-based prospective study data from first-grade students in Adachi-City, Tokyo, we used Poisson regression analysis to examine the association between the presence of eating vegetables at start of meals (VF) habit in 2015 (first-grade students) and the presence of permanent dental caries in 2018 (fourth-grade students). Adjusted variables were gender, type of preschool education, parental marital status, birth of order, age in months, household income, maternal education level, frequency of tooth brushing, frequency of drinking sweet beverages, and frequency of snacking. Of the 3,223 first-graders, 384 (11.9%) had VF habits; those with VF habits were less likely to have caries (IRR = 0.71 (95% confidence interval, 0.53-0.93), p = 0.015). Having VF habits from the first-grade of elementary school, when permanent teeth begin to erupt, may prevent permanent dental caries in children.

Free Research Field

歯科公衆衛生学　社会疫学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究より、ベジファースト習慣があることで、親の教育歴や収入のような社会経済的状態を考慮しても、子どものう蝕を減らす可能性が示されたため、幼少期のう蝕格差是正に貢献することが期待される。小児期に確立された食事パターンは、その後も続く傾向があることが示されている。「食べる順番」については、学校給食等を通じて幼少期に習得可能であり、行動変容につながる可能性が高いポピュレーションアプローチとなり得る。