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Oral health and Obesity in Brazilian elders: A longitudinal study
Author(s) -
Tôrres Luísa Helena do Nascimento,
De Marchi Renato José,
Hilgert Juliana Balbinot,
Hugo Fernando Neves,
Ismail Amid Ibrahim,
Antunes José Leopoldo Ferreira,
Sousa Maria da Luz Rosário de
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
community dentistry and oral epidemiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.061
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1600-0528
pISSN - 0301-5661
DOI - 10.1111/cdoe.12566
Subject(s) - medicine , waist , obesity , body mass index , anthropometry , dentures , longitudinal study , cohort , edentulism , cohort study , gerontology , demography , risk factor , oral health , dentistry , pathology , sociology
Objectives Obesity is an important risk factor for chronic diseases and can also result in greater mortality. The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate whether poor oral health acts as a risk factor for obesity as indicated by body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Methods We included in this analysis all participants who volunteered in a cohort study entitled ‘Carlos Barbosa Cohort Study—CBCS’ in the city of Carlos Barbosa, Southern Brazil. The interview questionnaire comprised socio‐demographic information, behavioural questions and medical history. Oral examinations and anthropometric assessments were carried out. The outcome was obesity measured by both BMI (≥30 kg/m 2 ) and WC (>0.80 for women and >0.94 for men). Variables were collected longitudinally. Those associated with the outcome and epidemiologically relevant to the conceptual framework participated in the analysis and were adjusted for socio‐demographic, behavioural, general and oral health conditions. Results Six hundred and thirty‐three independently living elders participated. The baseline mean age was 67.5 ± 6.1 years. Individuals who never visited a dentist (OR = 3.02, 95% CI: 1.25‐7.26) as well as participants who needed a dental prosthesis in the lower arch (OR = 4.38, 95% CI: 1.34‐14.32) were more likely to be obese, through BMI and WC measures, respectively. Edentulous participants with complete dentures in both arches (OR = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06‐0.84) and those who perceived their oral health as unsatisfactory (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.19‐0.88) had a lower likelihood of being obese, according to BMI and WC measures. Conclusions Older persons with poor oral health may be at risk for general and central obesity, a relationship that may have important clinical implications.