Is chronotype profile a risk indicator for caries in children and adolescents in sub-urban Nigeria?

OBJECTIVES

To determine the association between chronotype and the prevalence of caries among in-school pupils aged 6- to 16-year-old residing in a sub-urban area in Nigeria. We hypothesize that in-school pupils who are evening chronotypes will have significantly higher prevalence of caries than those who are intermediate or morning chronotypes.

METHODS

This secondary analysis of a dataset collected in 2019 from 1502 children aged 6- to 16-year-old attending private and public primary and secondary schools in Ife Central Local Government Area, Nigeria. The dependent variable was caries prevalence. The explanatory variable was participants' chronotype profile (morning, intermediate, and evening). The confounding variables were caries risk factors (socio-economic status, age at last birthday, sex, use of fluoridated toothpaste, frequency of consumption of refined carbohydrates, and oral hygiene status). Poisson regression analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

Data of 1001 (66.6%) students were retrieved. Of these, 59 (5.9%) had caries, 42 (4.2%) were evening type, 526 (52.5%) were intermediate type, and 433 (43.3%) were morning type. There was no significant association between chronotype and the prevalence of caries though children who were intermediate type (APR = 0.83; 95%CI: 0.41-1.66) and morning type (APR = 0.57; 95% CI: 0.27-1.18) were less likely to have caries than were those who were evening type.

CONCLUSION

The children and adolescents' chronotype was not a significant risk indicator for caries in the study population.