| ORIGINAL RESEARCH |
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| Year : 2016 | Volume
: 8
| Issue : 9 | Page : 899-902 |
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Retention of Natural Dentition and its Impact on Systemic Health: A Cross-sectional Study
Mohammed Jafer1, James Lalumandier2
1 Lecturer and Chair, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, P.O Box 114, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2 Professor and Chair, Department of Community Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio, USA
Correspondence Address:
Mohammed Jafer
Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, Jazan University, P.O Box 114, Jazan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
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Background: Systemic health and mortality have been shown to be affected by oral disease, in the elderly. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of teeth retention on longevity.
Methods: About 300 randomly chosen patient charts from the Case Western Reserve University, School of Dental Medicine, were used to obtain data on age, number of teeth present, gender, race, insurance, smoking, alcohol consumption, type of diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). A descriptive test was run to assess the distribution of demographics, systemic health, and number of teeth present. Analytic tests included bivariate and multivariate regression analysis. Pearson's correlation test investigated any association between the dependent variable, age and independent variable, number of teeth. Linear regression investigated any relationship between age and number of teeth adjusting for gender, race/ethnicity, dental insurance coverage, smoking, alcohol, diabetes, and CVD.
Results: Study sample's average age was 73.7 ± 6.8 years, with
.3% Whites and 42.3% African-Americans, and the average number of teeth present was 17.5 ± 9.9. There was a weak negative correlation with the number of teeth and age (r = −0.23, P < 0.01). The regression model predicted that for every tooth retained, age was reduced by 0.23 years. The prevalence of CVD was 69%, diabetes was 23.8%, smoking was 7.1%, and alcohol consumption was 28.3%.
Conclusion: Mortality and tooth retention, in the elderly, are both negatively correlated with age. Smoking, in the elderly, also has a negative correlation with age. |
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