THE FOOD HABITS AND DENTAL STATUS OF SOME CONNECTICUT CHILDREN

¹ School of Home Economics and Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Conn., and the Dental Hygiene Division, Connecticut State Department of Health, Hartford, Conn.

The dental status of 864 Connecticut children (in grades 5 to 8) was studied in relation to the adequacy of their diets, as determined from 7-day food intake records kept by the children.

The average number of DMF teeth was slightly higher in these children at ages 14 and 15 than in Connecticut children of the same age reported in 1944.

There was no difference between the DMF rate for boys and that for girls. The former was 8.1; the latter, 8.0.

The rural children in this group had a slightly lower DMF rate (an average of 7.1 per child) than the city children (an average of 9.1 per child).

The children with the better diets (rated according to the National Food Guide of the United States Department of Agriculture) had lower DMF rates, on the average. A higher intake of fruits and vegetables was also associated with a lower DMF rate.

There was a marked and consistent drop in DMF rate with increase in number of cups of milk consumed, from an average of 10.65 DMF teeth for those drinking less than 1 cup of milk per day to 5.95 for those drinking 4.1 to 5.0 cups per day. Those drinking over 5 cups per day had a slightly higher average rate of dental decay (7.12 DMF teeth). Possible causes for this are discussed.

Only a slight positive relationship was noted, in these children, between DMF rate and frequency of between-meal snacks; likewise between DMF rate and total consumption of candy and soft drinks. The possible incompleteness of the children's records as to these food items is discussed in connection with the low level of relationship to dental status noted in these subjects.