Alvarez J O, Navia J M
Department of Public Health, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
Am J Clin Nutr. 1989 Mar;49(3):417-26. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/49.3.417.
Animal studies have shown that early malnutrition affects tooth structure, delays tooth eruption, and results in increased dental caries. However, epidemiologic evidence in support of these findings has been elusive. Cross-sectional surveys show that populations with a higher prevalence of caries in their deciduous teeth also show a lower prevalence of caries in their permanent teeth. However, longitudinal data from individuals show exactly the opposite. Caries development is also delayed as a consequence of a delayed tooth eruption and thus the bell-shaped curve that results from plotting deciduous caries prevalence vs age is shifted to the right in malnourished children. This effect will result in an apparently negative association between caries in deciduous and permanent teeth when cross-sectional surveys are compared. Once the effect on tooth eruption is taken into account, the contribution of malnutrition to increased caries susceptibility may be observed, as demonstrated by a recent cross-sectional study involving Peruvian children.
动物研究表明，早期营养不良会影响牙齿结构，延迟牙齿萌出，并导致龋齿增加。然而，支持这些发现的流行病学证据一直难以获得。横断面调查显示，乳牙龋齿患病率较高的人群恒牙龋齿患病率也较低。然而，个体的纵向数据显示情况恰恰相反。由于牙齿萌出延迟，龋齿发展也会延迟，因此，绘制乳牙龋齿患病率与年龄关系的钟形曲线在营养不良的儿童中会向右移动。当比较横断面调查时，这种效应将导致乳牙和恒牙龋齿之间明显呈负相关。正如最近一项涉及秘鲁儿童的横断面研究所表明的那样，一旦考虑到对牙齿萌出的影响，就可能观察到营养不良对龋齿易感性增加的影响。
