Dietary inflammatory potential and oral-periodontal health in children: a cross-sectional study based on the children's dietary inflammatory index dietary inflammatory potential and oral-periodontal health in children.

OBJECTIVES: Diet-related inflammatory processes have been implicated in the development of oral and periodontal diseases; however, data in pediatric populations remain limited. The Children's Dietary Inflammatory Index (C-DII) is a validated tool designed to assess the inflammatory potential of diet in children. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the association between dietary inflammatory potential and oral-periodontal health parameters in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 300 systemically healthy children aged 6-14 years were included. Sociodemographic characteristics and oral hygiene habits were recorded. Clinical examinations assessed DMFT/dmft, Plaque Index (PI), Gingival Index (GI), and Bleeding on Probing (BOP). Dietary intake was evaluated using three-day dietary records, and C-DII scores were calculated after energy standardization per 1000 kcal. Statistical analyses were performed using Jamovi (version 2.3.28), with significance set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: C-DII scores showed a significant negative correlation with DMFT (p = 0.035) and a positive correlation with PI (p = 0.030). Quartile comparisons demonstrated significant differences in PI (p = 0.007), GI (p = 0.02), and BOP (p = 0.034) among children aged 6-10 years. In the 11-14-year group, GI (p = 0.002) and BOP (p = 0.01) values differed significantly across C-DII quartiles. CONCLUSIONS: Higher dietary inflammatory potential was associated with less favorable periodontal parameters in children. These findings suggest that proinflammatory dietary patterns may be linked to early periodontal changes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Assessment of dietary inflammatory potential may help identify children at increased periodontal risk and support preventive nutritional strategies in pediatric dental care.