Exploring the link between BMI, oral health, salivary flow and Veillonella parvula among adolescents in an Islamic Boarding School in Indonesia

Objective: This study aimed to analyze the correlation between body mass index (BMI) and oral health status, salivary flow rate and relative quantification of Veillonella parvula. Material and Method: In a cross-sectional study design, 49 male and 52 female students aged 12-14 years-old were recruited from an Islamic Boarding School in Depok, West Java and clinically examined for the Greene and Vermillion’s debris index. The unstimulated salivary flow rate was determined (ml/min). Anthropometric examinations were carried out for body weight, height and BMI per age. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify the presence of Veillonella parvula. Results: There is a significant correlation between BMI and relative expression of salivary Veillonella parvula (r= 0.2, p=0.04), however no correlations were found between BMI, OH status and unstimulated salivary flow rate. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that there is no linear relationship between BMI and salivary flow rate and/or OH status, however a potential relationship existed between BMI and salivary V parvula.