The Comparison of Dental Caries Severity on Stunting and Non-stunting Toddlers in Kalisat, Jember, Indonesia

Abstract

Background and Objectives. Nutritional deficiency in stunting toddlers is closely related to the calcium deficiency which is the most important component of the formation of bone and tooth structure. Deficiency of calcium can delay tooth eruption and increase the risk of dental caries. Little is known about the difference in dental caries severity on stunting and non-stunting toddlers in Kalisat, Jember, Indonesia. The study aims to examine the differences between the severity of dental caries on stunting and non-stunting toddlers.

Methods. This was an analytic observational study with a cross-sectional approach conducted in the working area of Kalisat Health Center, Jember, Indonesia. The population was stunting and non-stunting toddlers aged 25-60 months. The samples were selected using clustered random sampling technique (100 stunting toddlers and 100 non-stunting toddlers). Variables in this research were dental caries and incidence of stunting. The measurement of dental caries in toddlers was carried out by identifying the worst type of dental caries in toddlers, which occurred as pulp irritation (IP), pulp hyperemia (HP), pulp gangrene (GP), and radix gangrene (GR). Data analysis was descriptive. Mann Whitney U-test was used with 0.05 (p-value) as a test to analyze the differences between stunting and non-stunting toddlers’ dental caries.

Results. Stunting toddlers had more cases of pulp gangrene and radix gangrene than non-stunting toddlers. Mann Whitney U-Test showed the p-value was 0.038 (p<0.05) which meant there were differences in dental caries between stunting and non-stunting toddlers.

Conclusion. Most of the stunting toddlers had more severe dental caries than the non-stunting toddlers.