Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35446163›Full record

ArticleJDR clinical and translational research2023

Impact of Fluoride on Associations between Free Sugars Intake and Dental Caries in US Children.

M M Melough, S Sathyanarayana, F V Zohoori, H C Gustafsson, E L Sullivan, D L Chi, S M Levy, C M McKinney

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JDR clinical and translational research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
8citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 22% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

8 citing papers in PubMed, 8 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Longitudinal assessment of factors associated with dental caries on the first permanent molars: a prospective clinical study in Brazilian children.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2025
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
  6. Free sugars and early childhood caries development: a prospective cohort study.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2022
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

M M MeloughDepartment of Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1539-0980
S SathyanarayanaDepartment of Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
F V ZohooriCentre for Public Health Research, School of Health and Life Sciences, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK.
H C GustafssonDepartment of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
E L SullivanDepartment of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
D L ChiDepartment of Oral Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2289-7747
S M LevyDepartment of Preventive & Community Dentistry, College of Dentistry, and Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
C M McKinneyDepartment of Child Health, Behavior, and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
University of Washington · USOregon Health & Science University · USTeesside University · GBUniversity of Iowa · US

Funding

Developmental origins and early detection of ADHD and dysregulatory psychopathologyR01MH124824 · NIMH · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · PI SULLIVAN, ELINOR L. · 2021 to 2025
$3.8M
The Impact of Maternal Obesity and Poor Antenatal Nutrition on Offspring RDoC Dimensions and Risk for Neurodevelopmental DisordersR01MH117177 · NIMH · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · PI NIGG, JOEL T, SULLIVAN, ELINOR L. · 2018 to 2022
$3.6M
Supplement to Prenatal and Early Life Predictors of Child PsychopathologyK01MH120507 · NIMH · OREGON HEALTH & SCIENCE UNIVERSITY · PI GUSTAFSSON, HANNA C · 2019 to 2024
$934k
NIMH NIH HHS K01 MH120507NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH117177NIMH NIH HHS R01 MH124824
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveDental caries is the most prevalent chronic disease in US children, with the highest burden among Black and Hispanic youth. Sugars are a primary risk factor, but few studies have specifically measured intakes of free sugars and related this to dental caries or explored the extent to which water fluoride mitigates the cariogenicity of free sugars. Furthermore, the cariogenicity of certain free sugars sources, such as extruded fruit and vegetable products, is unclear.

methodsUsing cross-sectional data on 4,906 children aged 2 to 19 y in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2016, we examined associations of free sugars intake with counts of decayed or filled primary tooth surfaces (dfs) and decayed, missing, or filled permanent surfaces (DMFS) in negative binomial regressions. Stratified models examined these associations in children with home water fluoride above or below the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended level of 0.7 ppm.

resultsFree sugars accounted for 16.4% of energy, primarily contributed by added sugars. In adjusted models, a doubling in the percentage of energy from free sugars was associated with 22% (95% confidence interval [CI], 1%-47%) greater dfs among children aged 2 to 8. A doubling in energy from added sugars was associated with 20% (95% CI, 1%-42%) greater dfs and 10% (95% CI, 2%-20%) greater DMFS in children aged 6 to 19 y. Beverages were the most important source of added sugars associated with increased caries. Other free sugars were not associated with dfs or DMFS. Associations between free sugars and caries were diminished among children with home water fluoride of 0.7 ppm or greater.

conclusionsFree sugars intake, especially in the form of added sugars and specifically in sweetened beverages, was associated with higher dental caries. Water fluoride exposures modify these associations, reducing caries risk in the primary dentition of children whose home water meets recommended fluoride levels. KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER STATEMENT: Intake of free sugars, especially in the form of added sugars and specifically in beverages, was associated with higher dental caries in US children in this study. Water fluoride exposure at CDC-recommended levels protected against caries, especially in the primary dentition. These findings suggest that household water fluoridation at CDC-recommended levels protects against the cariogenic potential of free and added sugars during childhood.

Indexed as

Dental CariesFluoridesAdolescentChildCross-Sectional StudiesHumansNutrition SurveysSugarsFluoridesSugarsadolescentdietary sugarsfluoridationfruit and vegetable juicessugar-sweetened beveragestooth demineralization

Identifiers

PMID35446163
PMCPMC10404899
OpenAlexW4224244025

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.