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Tooth loss greater for US adults with diabetes
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U.S. adults with diabetes lose twice as many teeth as adults without diabetes, with a greater risk for tooth loss observed among black adults, according to research in Preventing Chronic Disease.
In an analysis of tooth loss trends from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted between 1971 and 2012, researchers found that overall tooth loss declined over the 40-year study period but remained more common in people with diabetes. Black adults with diabetes lost more teeth vs. white adults and Mexican Americans with diabetes.
Huabin Lou, PhD, of the Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, and colleagues analyzed data from 37,609 adults aged at least 25 years participating in 9 waves of the NHANES study, assessing trends in estimated tooth loss in adults with and without diabetes by age group, survey period and birth cohort.
Researchers found that black adults with diabetes lost more teeth with age than non-Hispanic whites with diabetes (Z = 4.05; P < .001), or Mexican Americans with diabetes (Z = 4.38; P < .001). Researchers also observed a significant decreasing trend in the number of teeth lost among white and black adults with diabetes, but those adults still had about twice the tooth loss as adults without diabetes.
“These findings have important implications,” the researchers wrote. “Increasing evidence suggests a relationship between oral health and other chronic diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and cognitive decline. Thus, the importance of tooth retention in adults needs to be emphasized to both patients and health care providers.”
The researchers suggested that a lack of access to dental services among black adults may have affected the findings.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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