Number of teeth and its association with central obesity in older southern Brazilians

Evidence suggests that older adults with extensive tooth loss may present dietetic restrictions and frequently choose softer and more processed foods, which consequently may lead to obesity. Objective: To evaluate whether there was an association between dental status and central obesity in community-dwelling elderly. Basic research design: A simple random sample of 471 community-dwelling Brazilian elderly ranging from 60 to 89 years old was evaluated in 2006. A questionnaire on socio-demographic, behaviour, general and oral health variables was applied. The number of natural teeth and the use of dental prostheses, following the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, were assessed. Main outcome measures: The circumferences of the waist and the hip were measured in order to provide the waist circumference (WC) and the waist-hip ratio (WHR) measures. For both measures, participants were categorised as non-obese or obese according to the WHO-established cut-off points. Results: Participants with more than 8 teeth were less likely to have central obesity, as measured by WHR [OR=0.49 (0.32 to 0.87)], while participants with only 1-8 natural teeth were more likely to have central obesity when evaluated by WC [OR=3.28 (CI 1.43 to 7.52)]. Conclusions: Tooth loss was associated with central obesity, even when controlled for confounders, suggesting a relationship between oral health status and nutritional status in this sample of community-dwelling Brazilian elderly. Preserving natural teeth may have a positive impact on the nutritional status of older adults and on obesity-related morbidity.