The Association between Reported Dental Pain Symptoms and Increased BMI in Indonesia: Evidence From The Indonesian Family Life Survey

Overweight/obesity remains one of the most important health issues. Not only due to the current health consequences but also because of its long-term effect. One of the most common health problems experienced by an individual with overweight/obesity is dental problem, which can be reflected from dental pain being complained.

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the association of overweight/obesity to be the predictor of the occurrence of dental pain.

Data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS) from five consecutive survey waves (1993, 1997, 2000, 2007 and 2014) that involved more than 30.000 participants and their offsprings that were grouped into three different age categories (0-4.9 years old; 5-19.9 years old; and 20-49.9 years old) were gathered and analyzed for Odds Ratio (OR) and Confidence Interval (CI). Trends of childhood overweight/obesity, the occurrence of dental pain, as well as the likelihood of individuals with childhood overweight/obesity to develop dental pain were analyzed by using STATA Data Analysis and Statistical Software version 13.

The results of the current study revealed that all age groups exhibited an increase in numbers when it comes to the prevalence of overweight/obesity from the first wave (in 1993) up to the latest wave (in 2014). It was also revealed that those who were in the 0-4.9 years old age group, were those who were more likely to develop dental pain (OR:1.12; 95% CI: 0.84-1.5; p:0.44).

Despite the wave to wave variation, overweight/obesity has the potential to be associated with future dental problems, with dental pain in particular.