Taste preference for sweetness and caries prevalence in preschoolchildren

Objective To assess the preference for sweetness among preschool children a nd differences between less and more deprived groups. In addition, to asses s whether sweet taste preference was associated with presence of caries. Methods The sample was composed by 572 preschool children aged between 4 an d 6, distributed in three day nurseries of varied socioeconomic background. Cross-sectional study der eloped in two steps. Preference for sweetness was assessed using a modified version of the Sweet Preference Inventory The so lutions varied in sugar concentration from 0 to I,17 molar (0 to 400 g/litr e). The presence of caries was assessed rising the defs index. The socioeco nomic status of the sample was classified according to the origin of domici le. Results The variation ill preference for sweetness in our sample was too sm all. Most children prefer red the sweetest juice. This reduced the ability of this variable to explain variation in caries prevalence. Despite this li mitation, our results showed that socioeconomic level influenced preference for sweetness, which in turn Mas associated with caries prevalence. Conclusion The socioeconomic status influence the sweetness preference and this, in turn, is associated with the dental caries prevalence.