Edentulism associated with obesity: a study of four national surveys of 16 416 Swedes aged 55–84 years.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between edentulism and obesity in the Swedish population aged 55­84 years over a 22-year period as a result of changes in health and socio-economic factors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Subjects aged 55­84 years (n = 16 416) were randomly sampled from the Swedish population by Statistics Sweden on four occasions (1980­81, 1988­89, 1996­97 and 2002). Trained interviewers collected information about dental status and anthropometric, demographic, socio-economic, lifestyle and health-related factors. Statistical analyses were based on logistic regression models. RESULTS: Edentulism decreased from 43% to 14% in the age group 55­84 years from 1980 to 2002, and the proportion of subjects with removable dentures decreased from 68% to 33%. In the age group 55­74 years, the proportion of subjects with low education decreased from 60% to 28%, and the proportion of obese subjects (body mass index ≥30 kg/m²) increased from 9% to 15%. In women aged 55­74 years, the association between obesity and edentulism, adjusted for health, lifestyle and socioeconomic factors, was significant in all surveys, and the odds ratio for obesity changed from 1.64 (95% confidence interval 1.18­2.27) in 1980 to 3.17 (95% confidence interval 1.69­6.18) in 2002. In men, the association was weaker and was significant only in the sample that combined all surveys and included individuals aged 55­84 years. CONCLUSION: The study indicated an association between edentulism and obesity, which was most obvious in women aged 55­74 years.