Association of obesity with periodontitis, tooth loss and oral hygiene in non-smoking adults

• Published in: Central European journal of public health Vol. 21; no. 4; pp. 196 - 201
• Main Authors: Prpić, Jelena, Kuis, Davor, Glazar, Irena, Ribarić, Sonja Pezelj
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Czech Republic National Institute of Public Health 01.12.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Body Mass Index; Croatia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Educational Status; Female; Gum disease; Health behavior; Health education; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Oral hygiene; Oral Hygiene - statistics & numerical data; Periodontitis - epidemiology; Sex Factors; Tooth Loss - epidemiology; Croatia
• ISSN: 1210-7778; 1803-1048
• DOI: 10.21101/cejph.a3829

Periodontitis was found to be significantly related to obesity as well as the number of missing teeth and oral hygiene. However, the studies addressing these relationships often included smokers and diabetics, and none was performed in Eastern European patients. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate associations between obesity and periodontitis, oral hygiene, and tooth loss in a sample of non-smoking Croatian subjects aged 31-75 years. A total of 320 patients were recruited by convenient sampling at the Dental Clinic, Clinical Hospital Centre in Rijeka, Croatia. Periodontal examination and data on tooth loss were completed in 292 subjects and each participant completed a structured written questionnaire with questions regarding oral hygiene, education, height, and weight. Periodontitis was categorized as early, moderate and advanced. In multiple regression analysis, periodontitis was used as predictor variable, and BMI, oral hygiene, tooth loss, and education level were used as dependent variables. Use of interdental brushes/flossing and number of missing teeth correlated significantly with BMI, but the same could not be proven for periodontitis and frequency of tooth brushing. However, logistic regression proved that the subset of obese, poorly educated women aged 36-55 years were 5-6 times more likely to develop severe forms of periodontal disease. Obesity was associated with tooth loss, oral hygiene, and education level in the investigated group. BMI could not be correlated with severity of periodontal disease, except in poorly educated women aged 36-55 years.