ASSOCIATION OF NUMBER OF MISSING TEETH WITH BODY MASS INDEX AMONG PARTIAL OR COMPLETE EDENTULOUS PATIENTS

Abstract

Objective: To determine the association between body mass index (BMI) and number of missing teeth remaining unreplaced during a period of at least last 2 years.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at Bacha khan Medical College Mardan on 113 patients by consecutive, non-probability sampling technique. The study included adult individuals of both genders (age range: 20-80 years) who had lost a minimum of 10 teeth and had not received any replacements for a minimum period of 2 years. Patients with diabetes mellitus and those who had been smoking for the last one year were excluded from the study. A detailed history and oral examination, including inspection, were performed. Additionally, height and weight measurements were recorded to calculate the body mass index (BMI). The association between missing teeth and obesity was assessed using the chi- square test.

Results: Males were 66.4% and females were 33.6%. The mean age was 63.22±7.40 years. The most common BMI class observed was normal weight (43.36%), followed by overweight (33.62%) and obese (23.01%). The relationship between age and BMI classes was not significant (P>0.05). Females were more obese than males (P<0.001). BMI classes has no statistical association with the number and pattern of missing teeth (P>0.05).

Conclusion: Most partial edentulous participants had normal weight. Age did not significantly impact BMI distribution. A higher proportion of females were obese compared to males, but no significant relationship was found between obesity frequency and the number of missing teeth.