Maintaining a functional natural
dentition plays an important
role in keeping a satisfactory nutritional status. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between oral
health conditions determined by the presence of edentulism and the number of missing
teeth, nutritional status and
consumption of
nutrients by the
elderly. This
cross-sectional study comprised 494 independent
elderly of both genders, over 60 years of age, registered at the Brazilian
public health service in Londrina, southern
Brazil. The
data collection included
oral examinations; anthropometric measurements by calculating the
Body Mass Index (BMI);
analysis of
food consumption based on a multiple pass 24-hour dietary recall and a
food intake frequency
questionnaire; and structured interviews to obtain sociodemographic information. Multiple
linear regression, the Fisher's Exact
test, chi-square and Mann-Whitney tests, were applied at a 5% significance level. The
prevalence of edentulism was 47.3%; this predominated in
females,
age group from 65 to 74 years, low
education level and low/medium economic
classification. A larger numberof
underweight and fewer number of
overweight elderly were recorded among the edentulous versus dentate participants (< 0.0001). Significantly lower
consumption of several
nutrients, as well as
fruit, was recorded among the edentulous group. In particular,
carbohydrates,
vitamins (B1, B9 and C), and the majority of the
minerals studied were associated with a larger number of missing
teeth. In conclusion,
tooth loss was associated with the
food consumption pattern of some macro-and
micronutrients and the
nutritional status of the Brazilian
elderly.