Over the last decades, overweight and obesity has become a problem in the economically developed world. The increasing number of overweight adults is alarming, but also children and adolescents are affected to a dramatic extent. For children with an increased Body Mass Index a considerable amount of pathological processes is described, which formerly had only affected adults. Therefore in general medicine these children receive special attention. In dentistry, however, obese children and adolescents have not been in the focus, although there are a number of potential risks, especially caries and periodontal problems. Only recently has there been some orthodontic research, with partly inconsistent results, however. This lecture aims to give an overview on what we know about the influence of obesity on orthodontic treatment and tooth movement so far. In addition to general medical as well as psychological considerations, orthodontists should be aware of several aspects which might lead to an unexpected course of treatment. Not only caries and periodontal disease will be discussed, but also an increased trauma risk, possible breathing and sleeping disorders, premature dental and skeletal development as well as the causes of frequently encountered cooperation problems. Furthermore, nowadays we know that fat tissue is not only a storage place for excess energy, but also an active endocrine organ, producing various proinflammatory cytokines which have an impact on the gingival/periodontal health and can influence bone metabolism and with that orthodontic tooth movement. Although much is yet unknown, this lecture will summarize the existing data and discuss possible orthodontic considerations when treating obese children and adolescents.


Learning Objectives
After this lecture, you will be able to recognize the impact of juvenile obesity on the growing child as well as on our society.
After this lecture, you will be able to understand why obese have a higher risk for developing white spot lesions during orthodontic care.
After this lecture, you will be able to define obesity-related comorbidities.