Non-Cochrane · prognostic · PM41265170
Association Between Body Mass Index and Dental Caries Severity in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Hua Yan, Hong Feiruo, Xu Yuxin, et al. · International dental journal · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1016/j.identj.2025.108275
Findings
Population Adults aged 18 years or older
42 findings
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD -1.06 [-2.39, 0.27] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision 8 studies · 5753 participants |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD -1.68 [-3.43, 0.07] GRADE not reported 5 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD 0.49 [-0.04, 1.02] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD 0.06 [-1.25, 1.36] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD -1.79 [-3.3, -0.29] GRADE not reported 6 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD -0.1 [-0.42, 0.21] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD 0.11 [-1.3, 1.52] GRADE not reported 5 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD 0.43 [-1.24, 2.11] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD -0.13 [-0.44, 0.18] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Underweight BMI (<18.5 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD 0.0 [-0.73, 0.73] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision 7 studies · 5603 participants |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD 0.6 [0.39, 0.81] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD 0.6 [0.39, 0.81] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD 0.44 [-0.44, 1.32] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD 0.23 [-0.63, 1.09] GRADE not reported 5 studies |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD -0.4 [-1.19, 0.39] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD 2.12 [-0.43, 4.67] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD 0.75 [-0.46, 1.97] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 7 studies · 8121 participants |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD 0.3 [-0.22, 0.82] Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency 4 studies · 7401 participants |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD -0.4 [-1.19, 0.39] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Overweight BMI (25-29.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD 1.31 [-1.09, 3.71] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD 0.99 [0.05, 1.93] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD 0.47 [-0.01, 0.95] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD 2.88 [-0.17, 5.93] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD 1.75 [0.05, 3.46] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 7 studies · 6646 participants |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD 0.47 [-0.01, 0.95] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD 1.59 [0.17, 3.01] GRADE not reported 5 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD -0.72 [-1.78, 0.33] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD 2.17 [-2.24, 6.58] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD -0.72 [-1.78, 0.33] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Sensitivity analysis excluding low-quality study (AHRQ score <=3) | MD 1.74 [-0.18, 3.66] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 6498 participants |
| Obese BMI (>=30 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD -0.11 [-1.02, 0.8] Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency 4 studies · 6017 participants |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD 0.18 [-0.24, 0.59] Very low Downgraded: risk of bias, imprecision, inconsistency 7 studies · 9985 participants |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD 0.97 [0.47, 1.47] GRADE not reported 6 studies |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD 1.13 [0.57, 1.68] GRADE not reported 6 studies |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD 1.7 [-0.88, 4.29] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: middle-income countries | MD -0.13 [-0.68, 0.42] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD 2.02 [-0.3, 4.33] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: manual examination only | MD -0.13 [-0.55, 0.29] GRADE not reported 5 studies |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries | MD 1.28 [0.17, 2.39] Low Downgraded: risk of bias, inconsistency 9 studies · 10802 participants |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Caries assessment: radiography-assisted | MD 0.59 [0.4, 0.78] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DMFT (decayed, missing and filled teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · Sensitivity analysis excluding low-quality study (AHRQ score <=3) | MD 1.31 [0.1, 2.53] GRADE not reported 8 studies · 10605 participants |
| Combined overweight/obese BMI | Normal weight BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/m2 or population-specific cutoff) | Mean DT (decayed teeth) Cross-sectional (single time point) · Dental clinics, workplace, military records and national survey populations in high-income and middle-income countries · National income: high-income countries | MD 0.54 [0.32, 0.77] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
Included primary studies 12
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben-Assuli 2023 Body Mass Index and Caries: Machine Learning and Statistical Analytics of the Dental, Oral, Medical Epidemiological (DOME) Nationwide Big… PMID:36676963 | 2022 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Abbass 2019 The potential impact of age, gender, body mass index, socioeconomic status and dietary habits on the prevalence of dental caries among… PMID:30906540 | 2019 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Abdolsamadi 2023 Relationship between body mass index and oral health indicators: a cross-sectional study. PMID:37013419 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Akarsu 2020 Association Between Body Mass Index and Dental Caries in a Turkish Subpopulation of Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study. PMID:32051975 | 2020 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Bahmaid 2020 matched by author and year (probable) | NR | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Chala 2017 U-shaped association between untreated caries and body mass index in adults at Rabat dental University hospital, Morocco: cross sectional… PMID:28057060 | 2017 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Guerreiro 2023 Caries Experience and Risk Indicators in a Portuguese Population: A Cross-Sectional Study. PMID:36767876 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Idrees 2017 Influence of body mass index on severity of dental caries: cross-sectional study in healthy adults. PMID:29229892 | 2017 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kabbarah 2025 Association between Obesity and Dental Caries in Adults: An Analysis of WHR, and DMFT Score. PMID:39433030 | 2025 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Memon 2021 Association of Dental Caries with Body Mass Index in Patients Attending Dental OPD of Tertiary Care Hospital, Pakistan: A Cross-Sectional… DOI:10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i51b33506 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Saw 2012 Dietary Intake Assessment in Adults and its Association with Weight Status and Dental Caries DOI:10.3923/pjn.2012.1066.1072 | 2012 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shah 2023 Relationship between body mass index (BMI) and oral health status among government bus drivers of Belagavi, India: A cross-sectional study DOI:10.1016/j.cegh.2023.101360 | 2023 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
| Review | Shared studies | Jaccard |
|---|---|---|
| Multimorbidity patterns of dental caries and obesity/overweight among adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. (2025) | 1 | 0.03 |
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Adults aged 18 years or older of any gender | Adults, 85,975 participants in 12 studies (10 in meta-analysis; mostly dental clinic patients) |
| Intervention | Exposure: abnormal BMI category (underweight, overweight, obese) by validated standards including region-specific adaptations | Underweight, overweight, obesity, and combined overweight/obesity (n=12 studies) |
| Comparison | Normal weight by the same diagnostic standard | Normal weight (n=12 studies) |
| Outcomes | Mean DMFT and DT (decayed teeth) as continuous variables from clinical examination | Mean DMFT (n=10 studies) and DT (n=7 studies) |
| Study designs | Observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, cohort) | 12 cross-sectional studies (n=12) |
| Timing | Not specified | Not specified |