Relationship between Oral Health Status and Stunting in 5-Year-Old Children in Indonesia

Stunting, a chronic malnutrition problem, has a relatively high prevalence worldwide. Untreated dental caries in deciduous teeth can affect an individual’s nutritional status; therefore, nutritional status and dental caries can be related to each other. This study determined the prevalence of dental caries and stunting as well as the relationship between oral health status and stunting in 5-year-old children in Indonesia. A cross-sectional study of 410 children aged 5 years was performed through clinical examinations and data from the 2018 National Health Survey. The prevalence of stunting among the children was 25.4%. Further, 260 (63.5%) children were found to have severe early childhood caries and chi-square analysis revealed that stunting was correlated with the level of parental education and socioeconomic status (P=.001), whereas dental caries and stunting were not. Conclusively, nutritional status in the form of stunting is significantly correlated with the level of parental education and socioeconomic status. The factors that predispose a child to stunting are multifactor, including oral health. Holistic multi-strategy community-based approach shall be explored further to decrease stunting on children in Indonesia.