Changing Lifestyle and cutting Problematic Internet Use may reduce Dental Caries in Children, suggests study
Researchers noted in a new study that problematic internet use (PIU) and poor lifestyle habits showed significant association with multiple dental caries among the elementary school-going children. Dental caries remains a leading disease prevalent among children around the world. This study was conducted by Yamada and colleagues published in the journal of BMC Oral Health.
The study included 13,413 children with a mean age of 10.5 years from 110 elementary schools in the Toyama Safe Internet Use Project. Questionnaires were completed on lifestyle habits, anthropometric measurements, family rules for screen time, PIU (assessed using Young's Diagnostic Questionnaire), and self-reported treated caries. Multiple caries were defined as three or more caries. Modified Poisson regression analysis was undertaken to identify significant associations between caries and various factors.
Results
Of the total participants, 12,146 children (90.7%) were included in the final analysis. The prevalence of multiple caries was 25.7%, with a higher prevalence in girls (27.0%) than boys (24.4%). Significant associations were found between multiple caries and various factors:
• Sex: Girls had a higher likelihood of multiple caries (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR] 1.13).
• Grade: Higher grades were associated with an increased risk (5th grade: aPR 1.13; 6th grade: aPR 1.14).
Lifestyle habits:
• Breakfast skipping (aPR 1.11).
• Bedtime: 10–11 p.m. (aPR 1.17); ≥11 p.m. (aPR 1.23).
• Brushing teeth infrequently:
• Family rules: No family restriction on screen time (aPR 1.20).
• Problematic Internet Use: PIU demonstrated a dose-response relationship, with significant effects in boys. Children with moderate PIU (YDQ score 3–4) had an aPR of 1.17, whereas severe PIU (YDQ score ≥5) increased the likelihood to 1.22.
• Stratified analysis revealed a stronger association between PIU and caries in boys, with higher YDQ scores correlating with greater prevalence.
Researchers concluded that being female, maintaining an unhealthy lifestyle, and experiencing problematic internet use (PIU) were significantly associated with multiple self-reported dental caries. To prevent caries in children, promoting a healthy lifestyle and limiting problematic internet use is recommended.
Reference:
Yamada, M., Sekine, M., Tatsuse, T. et al. Association of self-reported dental caries with sex, lifestyle, and problematic Internet use among elementary school children in Japan. BMC Oral Health 25, 129 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12903-025-05475-8
