{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,24]],"date-time":"2026-06-24T07:38:01Z","timestamp":1782286681117,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,14]],"date-time":"2021-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1610582400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Deputyship for research and innovation, ministry of education, saudi arabia","award":["IFT20147"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["IFT20147"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Despite sufficient knowledge of good oral hygiene habits, dental students still suffer from oral health problems owing to dietary habits, obesity, and a sedentary lifestyle. This cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate an association of BMI (body mass index), diet, physical activity, and oral hygiene practices with DMFT (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) of male dental students and interns at King Faisal University, Saudi Arabia, from August to September 2020. One hundred and eighty-five male participants completed the study questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of sociodemographic information and nineteen close-ended questions about current diet, physical activity, and oral hygiene practices. Students\u2019 height (cm) and weight (kg) were measured to calculate BMI. The principal investigator performed the oral clinical examinations for the DMFT status in the dental clinic. The chi-square test was used for the dichotomous variables and a t-test was used for the continuous variables. Linear and multinomial logistic regression were performed to detect the significant predictors of the DMFT score. The mean age of participants was 22.29 \u00b1 2.13 years, and the BMI was 24.94 \u00b1 3.36 (Kg\/m2). Parents\u2019 higher education and income levels were significantly (p &lt; 0.001) associated with a higher BMI. Most dietary variables, especially sugar products, and low physical activity, were significantly (&lt;0.047) associated with higher BMI. All oral hygiene practices, except miswak and mouthwash, were significantly (&lt;0.003) associated with higher BMI. Decayed and missing teeth were significantly (&lt;0.001) higher in the overweight and obese. A simple linear regression analysis demonstrated association between BMI and decayed teeth, with an R = 0.35 (&lt;0.001); BMI and missing teeth had an R = 0.12 (p = 0.867); BMI and filled teeth had an R = 0.15 (p = 0.033), and BMI with DMFT had an R = 0.33 ((&lt;0.001). This study demonstrated a strong significant association of the decayed and missing teeth with higher BMI levels. In addition, BMI was significantly associated with diet and physical activity, despite acceptable oral hygiene practices.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu13010224","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,15]],"date-time":"2021-01-15T01:33:29Z","timestamp":1610674409000},"page":"224","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":19,"title":["Association of BMI, Diet, Physical Activity, and Oral Hygiene Practices with DMFT Index of Male Dental Students at King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5901-1482","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rizwan","family":"Jouhar","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3279-8278","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad Adeel","family":"Ahmed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7998-7335","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Zohaib","family":"Khurshid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Implantology, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Syed Akhtar Hussain","family":"Bokhari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"638","article-title":"Assessment of lifestyle and eating habits among undergraduate students in Najran University, Najran, Saudi Arabia","volume":"6","author":"Shaikh","year":"2017","journal-title":"Int. J. Med. Sci. Pub. Health"},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"(2020, April 01). World Health Organization. Available online: www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/obesity-and-overweight."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"687","DOI":"10.26719\/2016.22.9.687","article-title":"Association between body mass index, diet and dental caries in Grade 6 boys in Medina, Saudi Arabia","volume":"22","author":"Bhayat","year":"2016","journal-title":"East. Mediterr. Health J."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"444","DOI":"10.5144\/0256-4947.2017.444","article-title":"Influence of body mass index on severity of dental caries: Cross-sectional study in healthy adults","volume":"37","author":"Idrees","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ann. Saudi Med."},{"key":"ref_5","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2009). Global Health Risks: Mortality and Burden of Disease Attributable to Selected Major Risks, World Health Organization."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sangachin, M.G., Cavuoto, L.A., and Wang, Y. (2018). Use of various obesity measurement and classification methods in occupational safety and health research: A systematic review of the literature. BMC Obes., 5.","DOI":"10.1186\/s40608-018-0205-5"},{"key":"ref_7","first-page":"e7492","article-title":"Dietary sugars and body weight: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials and cohort studies","volume":"346","author":"Mallard","year":"2013","journal-title":"BMJ"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"216","DOI":"10.1186\/s13643-017-0610-8","article-title":"The relationship between childhood body weight and dental caries experience: An umbrella systematic review protocol","volume":"6","author":"Carson","year":"2017","journal-title":"Syst. Rev."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"230","DOI":"10.1159\/000484988","article-title":"Association between dental caries and BMI in children: A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"52","author":"Chen","year":"2018","journal-title":"Caries Res."},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"162","DOI":"10.1139\/H09-007","article-title":"Effect of the transition from high school to university on anthropometric and lifestyle variables in males","volume":"34","author":"Pullman","year":"2009","journal-title":"Appl. Physiol. Nutr. Metab."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"37","DOI":"10.3200\/JACH.56.1.37-42","article-title":"The prevalence of physical activity maintenance in a sample of university students: A longitudinal study","volume":"56","author":"Irwin","year":"2007","journal-title":"J. Am. Collage Health"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1621","DOI":"10.1016\/S0277-9536(00)00446-9","article-title":"Health behaviour, risk awareness and emotional well-being in students from Eastern Europe and Western Europe","volume":"53","author":"Steptoe","year":"2001","journal-title":"Soc. Sci Med."},{"key":"ref_13","first-page":"288","article-title":"Dating violence and associations with depression and risk behaviors: Female students in Morelos, Mexico","volume":"48","author":"Allen","year":"2006","journal-title":"Salud. Publica Mex."},{"key":"ref_14","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2017, September 20). Sugars and Dental Caries. Available online: http:\/\/www.who.int\/news-room\/fact-sheets\/detail\/sugars-and-dental-caries."},{"key":"ref_15","first-page":"100","article-title":"Factors affecting dental caries of preschool children in Shiraz, 2014","volume":"19","author":"Shaghaghian","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Dent. (Shiraz)"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.4172\/2376-032X.1000205","article-title":"Relationship of Facial Skin Complexion with Gingiva and Tooth Shade on Smile Attractiveness","volume":"4","author":"Ghani","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Interdiscipl. Med. Dent. Sci."},{"key":"ref_17","first-page":"1359","article-title":"Comparison between the mean postoperative pain score with two different file systems in patients with irreversible pulpitis-a clinical study in Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine","volume":"26","author":"Jamil","year":"2019","journal-title":"Prof. Med. J."},{"key":"ref_18","first-page":"53","article-title":"Clinical Assessment Of Bonding Agent v\/s Fluoride Varnish in Dentinal Hypersensitivity","volume":"7","author":"Ahmed","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Bahria Uni. Med. Dent. Collage"},{"key":"ref_19","first-page":"2050","article-title":"Evaluation of Oral Health Status Based on the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth (DMFT) Index","volume":"48","author":"Moradi","year":"2019","journal-title":"Iran. J. Public Health"},{"key":"ref_20","first-page":"675","article-title":"Dental anxiety level of patients presenting to operative dentistry department","volume":"35","author":"Wahid","year":"2015","journal-title":"Pak. Oral Dent. J."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Wang, P., Lin, H.C., Chen, J.H., and Liang, H.Y. (2010). The prevalence of dental erosion and associated risk factors in 12-13-year-old school children in Southern China. BMC Public Health, 10.","DOI":"10.1186\/1471-2458-10-478"},{"key":"ref_22","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"418","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdent.2015.02.004","article-title":"Age-specific prevalence of erosive tooth wear by acidic diet and gastroesophageal reflux in Japan","volume":"43","author":"Kitasako","year":"2015","journal-title":"J. Dent."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1231","DOI":"10.1002\/j.0022-0337.2008.72.11.tb04605.x","article-title":"Is dentistry at risk? A case for interprofessional education","volume":"72","author":"Wilder","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Dent. Educ."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1281","DOI":"10.1002\/j.0022-0337.2002.66.11.tb03602.x","article-title":"How do US and Canadian dental schools teach interpersonal communication skills?","volume":"66","author":"Yoshida","year":"2002","journal-title":"J. Dent. Educ."},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"914","DOI":"10.1002\/j.0022-0337.2004.68.9.tb03840.x","article-title":"The dental curriculum at North American dental institutions in 2002\u201303: A survey of current structure, recent innovations, and planned changes","volume":"68","author":"Kassebaum","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Dent. Educ."},{"key":"ref_26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.4236\/ojst.2016.61004","article-title":"Dietary Habits and Oral Hygiene Practice amongst Dental Students at the College of Dentistry, Princess Nourah University","volume":"6","author":"AlJamie","year":"2016","journal-title":"Open J. Stomato."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"28","DOI":"10.5144\/0256-4947.2017.31.12.1515","article-title":"Association between body mass index and dental caries among special care female children in Makkah City","volume":"38","author":"Ashour","year":"2018","journal-title":"Ann. Saudi Med."},{"key":"ref_28","unstructured":"Word Bank (2020). Taxes on Sugar-Sweetened Beverages: Summary of International Evidence and Experiences, World Bank."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"149","DOI":"10.3945\/an.115.009365","article-title":"Sugars and dental caries: Evidence for setting a recommended threshold for intake","volume":"7","author":"Moynihan","year":"2016","journal-title":"Adv. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_30","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"799","DOI":"10.1590\/S0034-8910.2013047004608","article-title":"Obesity and dental caries: Systematic review","volume":"47","author":"Silva","year":"2013","journal-title":"Rev. Saude Publica"},{"key":"ref_31","first-page":"295","article-title":"Correlation between oral health and body mass index (BMI) in 2071 primary school pupils","volume":"12","author":"Willershausen","year":"2007","journal-title":"Eur. J. Med. Res."},{"key":"ref_32","first-page":"91","article-title":"Relationship between body mass index and dental caries among adolescent children in South India","volume":"60","author":"Thippeswamy","year":"2011","journal-title":"West Indian Med. J."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"683","DOI":"10.4103\/1119-3077.144378","article-title":"Relationship between obesity and oral diseases","volume":"17","author":"Sede","year":"2014","journal-title":"Niger. J. Clin. Pract."},{"key":"ref_34","first-page":"375","article-title":"Exploring the association between overweight and dental caries among US children","volume":"28","author":"Macek","year":"2006","journal-title":"Pediatr Dent."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"499","DOI":"10.1016\/j.gaceta.2016.09.005","article-title":"Relationship between caries, body mass index and social class in Spanish children","volume":"31","year":"2017","journal-title":"GAC Sanit."},{"key":"ref_36","first-page":"441","article-title":"Obesity: An emerging problem in Saudi Arabia. Analysis of data from the National Nutrition Survey","volume":"13","author":"Osman","year":"2007","journal-title":"East. Mediterr. Health J."},{"key":"ref_37","first-page":"5","article-title":"The effect of socioeconomic status, number of siblings and parental of education on children\u2019body mass index at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Cross sectional study","volume":"4","author":"Bo","year":"2015","journal-title":"Fam. Med. Med. Sci. Res."},{"key":"ref_38","first-page":"576","article-title":"Parental socioeconomic status and occupation in relation to childhood obesity","volume":"4","author":"Alzahrani","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int. J. Mod. Res. Dev."},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Sallis, J.F., and Nader, P.R. (1988). Family determinants of health behaviors. Health Behavior, Springer.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4899-0833-9_6"},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e019862","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2017-019862","article-title":"Income and obesity: What is the direction of the relationship? A systematic review and meta-analysis","volume":"8","author":"Kim","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMJ Open"},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"52","DOI":"10.1186\/s13561-016-0129-z","article-title":"Family income and body mass index\u2013what have we learned from China","volume":"6","author":"Asiseh","year":"2016","journal-title":"Health Econ. Rev."},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"408S","DOI":"10.3945\/ajcn.113.071332","article-title":"Long-term associations of nut consumption with body weight and obesity","volume":"100","author":"Jackson","year":"2014","journal-title":"Am. J. Clin. Nutr."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"811","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdent.2011.08.014","article-title":"The association of tooth wear, diet and dietary habits in adults aged 18\u201330 years old","volume":"39","author":"Bartlett","year":"2011","journal-title":"J. Dent."},{"key":"ref_44","first-page":"154","article-title":"Assessment of lifestyle and eating habits among undergraduate students in northern Italy","volume":"51","author":"Lupi","year":"2015","journal-title":"Ann. Ist. Super. Sanita"},{"key":"ref_45","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"82","DOI":"10.4103\/2230-8229.181011","article-title":"The association between physical activity and overweight and obesity in a population of children at high and low altitudes in Southwestern Saudi Arabia","volume":"23","author":"Ahmed","year":"2016","journal-title":"J. Fam. Community Med."},{"key":"ref_46","first-page":"55","article-title":"Relationship Between Social and Behavioural Factors and Caries Experience in Schoolchildren in Italy","volume":"1","author":"Ferrazzano","year":"2016","journal-title":"Oral Health Prev. Dent."},{"key":"ref_47","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Paisi, M., Kay, E., Bennett, C., Kaimi, I., Witton, R., Nelder, R., and Lapthorne, D. (2019). Body mass index and dental caries in young people: A systematic review. BMC Pediatr., 19.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12887-019-1511-x"},{"key":"ref_48","first-page":"137","article-title":"Obesity and dental caries--A systematic review","volume":"4","author":"Kantovitz","year":"2006","journal-title":"Oral Health Prev. Dent."},{"key":"ref_49","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"57","DOI":"10.1186\/2046-4053-1-57","article-title":"Body mass index and dental caries in children and adolescents: A systematic review of literature published 2004 to 2011","volume":"1","author":"Hooley","year":"2012","journal-title":"Syst. Rev."},{"key":"ref_50","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"981","DOI":"10.14740\/jocmr2958w","article-title":"Association Between Dental Caries and Body Mass Index in Schoolchildren Aged Between 14 and 16 Years in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia","volume":"12","author":"Alghamdi","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Clin. Med. Res."},{"key":"ref_51","first-page":"231","article-title":"Association between obesity, dental caries and socioeconomic status in 6-and 13-year-old school children","volume":"10","author":"Sakeenabi","year":"2012","journal-title":"Oral Health Prev. Dent."},{"key":"ref_52","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"240","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1601-5037.2011.00534.x","article-title":"Relationship between obesity\/overweight status, sugar consumption and dental caries among adolescents in South India","volume":"10","author":"Honne","year":"2012","journal-title":"Int. J. Dent. Hyg."}],"container-title":["Nutrients"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/13\/1\/224\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T05:11:06Z","timestamp":1760159466000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2072-6643\/13\/1\/224"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,14]]},"references-count":52,"journal-issue":{"issue":"1","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,1]]}},"alternative-id":["nu13010224"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/nu13010224","relation":{},"ISSN":["2072-6643"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2072-6643","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2021,1,14]]}}}