UDC 616.314.9–002:616.7]:616 – 071.3–053.4(477.83)

A child's physical development level is one of the indicators of public health, as diseases of adulthood originate in childhood. In Ukraine, when examining primary school children, a third of them have disharmonious physical development due to being underweight, and the rest have a deficit in chest circumference and reduced lung capacity. Among dental diseases, dental caries ranks first. In Ukraine, the prevalence of caries in temporary teeth is particularly high, reaching 100%. The number of children with musculoskeletal disorders is also growing. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of caries in temporary teeth in children with musculoskeletal pathology de- pending on the level and harmony of their physical development. For this purpose, 285 children aged 5-6 years (142 boys and 143 girls) who attended specialized groups for children with musculoskeletal disorders in kindergartens in Lviv were examined. The damage to the hard tissues of the teeth was studied by the caries intensity index , and the state of physical development of children was assessed by the main anthropometric indicators – height and body weight. The assessment of children's physical development was analyzed by the 2013 guidelines of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine and the National Academy of Medical Sciences by comparing the actual data of each child with the standards on regression scales separately for girls and boys aged five and six years. It was found that children aged 5-6 years with an average level of physical development in terms of height and harmoniously developed body weight have fewer teeth affected by caries than children with anthropometric indicators that go beyond the stan- dard regression scales.Thus, the highest intensity of dental caries was found in children with lower body weight and higher height.

Key words: physical development, caries of primary teeth, pathology of the musculoskeletal system.