<p class="title">Parents, take note! Talking to your children about dental health may prevent them from becoming overweight, a study suggests.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Weight can be a sensitive subject, but if you talk about eating behaviours alongside dental health, you are looking at the issue from a different angle," said Louise Arvidsson, PhD student from Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arvidsson reviewed eating behaviour, body mass index (BMI) and dental health of 271 pre-school and primary school children in Sweden.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The children's height, weight, and food intake over one day were compared with the prevalence of cariogenic microorganisms in saliva.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The children who had higher amount of caries bacteria also had significantly higher BMI and worse eating habits. They ate more frequently and consumed more foods rich in sugar.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is absolutely a possibility to catch these children and talk about food habits, specifically in Sweden where the dentists meets with them at an early age, but this needs a good level of collaboration between the general dentistry, the child health care and schools," said Arvidsson.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With good food comes increased self-esteem, better relationships with friends and fewer emotional problems, Arvidsson said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Children that to a higher extent followed general dietary recommendations - wholegrain products, 400-500 grammes of fruit and vegetables per day, fish two to three times a week and a low intake of sugar and saturated fat - reported better mental well-being, she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The effects were achieved regardless of socio-economic background, and regardless of the children's weight.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The research also found that good self-esteem could be linked to the healthier eating habits, two years later.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A healthy diet and mental well-being might therefore be considered to interact, in a positive spiral.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We know that adults with depression feel better if, in addition to other treatment, they also meet with a dietitian. The question is whether a healthy diet can have effect also in young children.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There has been a lot of focus on physical activity and mental health in children, but diet is an increasingly recognised aspect," said Arvidsson.</p>
<p class="title">Parents, take note! Talking to your children about dental health may prevent them from becoming overweight, a study suggests.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Weight can be a sensitive subject, but if you talk about eating behaviours alongside dental health, you are looking at the issue from a different angle," said Louise Arvidsson, PhD student from Sahlgrenska Academy in Sweden.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Arvidsson reviewed eating behaviour, body mass index (BMI) and dental health of 271 pre-school and primary school children in Sweden.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The children's height, weight, and food intake over one day were compared with the prevalence of cariogenic microorganisms in saliva.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The children who had higher amount of caries bacteria also had significantly higher BMI and worse eating habits. They ate more frequently and consumed more foods rich in sugar.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There is absolutely a possibility to catch these children and talk about food habits, specifically in Sweden where the dentists meets with them at an early age, but this needs a good level of collaboration between the general dentistry, the child health care and schools," said Arvidsson.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With good food comes increased self-esteem, better relationships with friends and fewer emotional problems, Arvidsson said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Children that to a higher extent followed general dietary recommendations - wholegrain products, 400-500 grammes of fruit and vegetables per day, fish two to three times a week and a low intake of sugar and saturated fat - reported better mental well-being, she said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The effects were achieved regardless of socio-economic background, and regardless of the children's weight.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The research also found that good self-esteem could be linked to the healthier eating habits, two years later.</p>.<p class="bodytext">A healthy diet and mental well-being might therefore be considered to interact, in a positive spiral.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We know that adults with depression feel better if, in addition to other treatment, they also meet with a dietitian. The question is whether a healthy diet can have effect also in young children.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"There has been a lot of focus on physical activity and mental health in children, but diet is an increasingly recognised aspect," said Arvidsson.</p>