Evaluating the association between food insecurity and dental caries in US children 1-19 years: results from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2013-2014

Objectives To evaluate the association between food insecurity and dental caries in US children aged 1-19 years. Methods Data from children ages 1-19 collected through the 2013/2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was analyzed. Descriptive analysis of both the exposure (food insecurity) and outcome variables (dental caries), as well as covariates, was carried out. Strata-specific odds ratios and respective 95 percent confidence intervals for each covariate were determined, followed by linear regression models. Results The odd of having dental caries was 2.9 times higher for children who had very low food security. The odds of having dental caries was 2.6 times higher for children aged 6-11, 2.9 times higher for children aged 12-15, and 4.2 times higher for children aged 16-19 when compared to children aged 1-5. Conclusions There is a significant association between food insecurity and dental caries in children and dental caries prevalence increases with age.