Introduction and objective:

Understanding the impact of metabolic disorders on health has become a global problem in recent years. To determine the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of dental caries in schoolchildren from 6 to 12 years of age in Huando-Huan-Cavelica, in 2016.

Materials and methods:

Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 220 randomly selected students, meeting inclusion and exclusion criteria and following ethical standards in research. The data were analyzed in the SPSS 21 program using frequency distribution tables and the chi square test to determine the existence of association between BMI and dental caries.

Results:

The prevalence of dental caries was 91.82% (CPO-d = 4.08, CEO-D = 5.81). Regarding the nutritional status, 30 children presented malnutrition (13.63%) and 23 overweight (10.45), the rest had a weight and height adequate for their age, and none presented the condition of obesity. There was no statistical association between BMI and dental caries (p = 0.612).

Conclusions:

Malnutrition does not predispose to the presence of carious lesions due to their multifactorial etiology, we must point out that both are priority problems in public health, requiring a joint work between parents and educational authorities.

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