Caries in children with lactose intolerance and cow's milk protein allergy

Abstract Dental caries in 5-to-8-year-old children with cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) and lactose intolerance (LI), their treatment needs, and the consumption of milk-based products and milk derivatives by these patients were investigated. A cross-sectional study was undertaken with 200 children in southern Brazil in 2017. The clinical examination was based on the World Health Organization criteria and a questionnaire was sent to parents or legal guardians to collect information on the children's food intake, pre-existing systemic diseases, medication use, and CMPA and LI. Standardization was performed to verify concordance among examiners (kappa = 0.96). Caries prevalence was 67.50% in children with CMPA or LI, but 34.37% in those without these conditions. The mean dmft (decayed, missing, and filled teeth) index in children with CMPA or LI was 1.75 ± 1.84, significantly higher than among non-allergic or lactose-tolerant children (0.83 ± 1.60) (p