A new study published in Frontiers in Oral Health shows that among U.S. adults, a higher number of decayed, missing or filled teeth, and untreated decay are significantly associated with a negative assessment of their overall health.
The study, led by Fahad AlAli of the AlKabeer Polyclinic in West Mubarak, Kuwait, points out that increasing public awareness of the relationship between oral health and general health and incorporating oral examinations into routine physical examinations are expected to improve overall medical care.
As the authors said, “Our data show that oral disease remains an important barrier to overall health.”
The study was based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2015 to 2018, which was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and used a multistage sampling method to be representative.
The sample included 11,566 U.S. adults aged 18 years and older, and included clinical dental examinations and standardized questionnaire assessments.
The dental assessment used visual and tactile methods to determine caries status and record the total number of teeth. Participants were asked to rate their overall health on a scale from “excellent” to “poor.”
The oral health indicators of interest included the DMFT index, which consists of decayed, missing, and filled teeth, as well as the number of untreated decayed and missing teeth.
The data showed that:
For every additional DMFT unit, the likelihood of an individual reporting a “fair to poor” health status increased by 2% (p < 0.01);
For each additional untreated decayed tooth, the risk increased by 38% (p = 0.004);
For each missing tooth, the probability of reporting poor health increased by 43% (p = 0.010).
These associations remained statistically significant after controlling for confounding factors such as age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, income, and smoking.
Despite the important findings, the study also has limitations. Because the NHANES data were collected at only one point in time, it is difficult to confirm causality or analyze long-term trends.
The authors noted that this factor limits further exploration of the mechanisms by which oral health affects overall health.
The study ultimately emphasizes that strengthening collaboration between medical and dental professionals and promoting preventive oral health care measures will have a profound impact on patient well-being.
