Analysis of Dental Caries Experience and Total Sugar Consumption as per the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)

Dental caries is one of the most prevalent chronic oral diseases. Dietary habits, oral hygiene, and accessibility to preventive interventions, notably fluoridated water, are critical elements of the causative pie in the multifactorial onset of dental caries. This paper investigates if the total sugar consumption in grams or percentage of total daily energy intake changes the likelihood of developing dental caries after adjusting for the water source, gender, family income, and race. The prevalence of dental caries experience, the mean incidence of tooth decay experience, and the proportion of energy consumed from sweets were all calculated using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) for the years 2011–2012 and 2015–2016, along with the corresponding weights. Logistic regressions with many variables and levels were employed for the analysis. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were presented. In 2011-2012, 69.03% and 2015-16, 69.93% of the US population had at least one caries experience. When stratified by age, dental caries experience was most prevalent amongst adolescents at 70.64% at 11-20 years in 2011-12 and 70.28% at 2-5 years 2015-16. The mean daily sugar consumption was 115.34 grams and 103.32 grams in 2011-12, respectively; 23.96% and 22.08% of mean daily energy consumption from sugar were observed in both years. In 2011– 2012, Americans consumed 23.3% of their daily energy from sugars on average and 21.02% in 2015-16. The Chi-square test was not significant for categories of sugar consumption and caries experience. The overall amount of sugar consumed in grammes and the amount consumed as a proportion of total daily calorie intake changed in neither year, and neither did the likelihood of developing dental caries. The findings mentioned above confirm earlier research that net sugar consumption does not affect experience with caries; rather, the dietary aspect of the causative pie of caries experience has to be thoroughly researched in light of contemporary developments in dental public health.