278 - Epidemiological Study of Dental Caries and Cardiovascular Health in Children

Aim:

To investigate associations between dental caries experience and poorer CVH among US children and adolescents, and whether shared social drivers of health may explain these associations.

Methods:

We analyzed 2013–2018 NHANES data for participants aged 2 to 19, categorized into primary (2–5 years), mixed (6–11 years), and permanent (12–19 years) dentition stages. Dental caries were assessed using the DMFT index. Overall CVH scores were derived from the American Heart Association’s “Life’s Essential 8” framework, calculated as the unweighted average of 8 behavioral and biological factors on a scale from 0-100, with higher scores indicating better CVH. Separate scores for behavioral and biological factors were also calculated. Linear and logistic regression models estimated associations between DMFT and CVH, adjusting for sex, race/ethnicity, family income, health insurance, and timing of last dental visit.

Results:

In unadjusted models, higher DMFT scores were associated with lower overall, behavioral, and biological CVH scores in children aged 2–5 years and adolescents aged 12–19 years. In children aged 6–11 years, a small positive association was observed, likely reflecting BMI trajectory heterogeneity during the adiposity rebound period. Higher DMFT was associated with significantly lower odds of high CVH among adolescents aged 12–19 years (OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.92–0.97), but not in younger age groups. These associations were substantially attenuated after adjustment for sociodemographic covariates.

Conclusions:

In this cross-sectional study, the association between higher dental caries and poorer CVH was predominantly driven by shared social drivers of health. Further studies are needed to better understand how oral health may influence cardiovascular outcomes from childhood into adulthood.