Ann Geriatr Med Res.
2018 Sep;22(3):145-150. 10.4235/agmr.2018.22.3.145.
Association Between Sarcopenia and Tooth Loss
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department of Internal Medicine, National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Korea.
- 2Department of Internal Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea. klaatu70@gmail.com
- KMID: 2434023
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.4235/agmr.2018.22.3.145
Abstract
- BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to determine whether the prevalence and extent of periodontal disease and tooth loss are increased in participants with sarcopenia.
METHODS
This cross-sectional study included 8,053 males (sarcopenia, 2,772; nonsarcopenia, 5,281) and 10,729 females (sarcopenia, 3,085; nonsarcopenia, 7,644) ≥18 years of age who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) from 2008 to 2011 and underwent assessments of oral health and appendicular skeletal muscle mass. Muscle mass index was calculated as appendicular muscle mass divided by height squared. The cutoff values for sarcopenia were 7.0 kg/ m2 for males and 5.4 kg/m2 for females.
RESULTS
The group with sarcopenia brushed their teeth less frequently. The presence of periodontitis was significantly higher in participants with sarcopenia (males, 30.3%; females, 45.9%) than in participants without sarcopenia (males, 18.3%; females, 17.4%) (p < 0.001). The number of natural teeth was significantly lower in participants with sarcopenia. The adjusted odds ratio for sarcopenia in participants with < 20 natural teeth compared to those with full dentition was 1.96 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.58-2.48) in males and 2.86 (95% CI, 2.31-3.56) in females. Subgroup analysis of the adjusted odds ratio for sarcopenia in older (≥65 years) individuals with < 20 natural teeth was 1.92 (95% CI, 1.49-2.66) in males and 2.63 (95% CI, 2.25-3.64) in females.
CONCLUSION
Loss of the natural teeth wass significantly associated with sarcopenia.
