Association Between Low Tongue Pressure and Physical Abnormalities in Adolescent and Young Adult Women: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: We examined the factors associated with low tongue pressure to clarify its association with physical abnormalities in adolescent and young adult women. Methods: This study enrolled 92 women aged 10–20 years. Following the collection of anthropometric data, measurements were performed, including grip strength, maximum occlusal force, maximum tongue pressure, and masticatory performance. Based on the Rohrer index and body mass index (BMI), the participants were divided into normal weight, underweight, and overweight/obese groups. Low tongue pressure was defined as the bottom 20th percentile of maximum tongue pressure. After univariate analyses, factors associated with low tongue pressure were identified using multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis. Results: In the bivariate analysis, maximum tongue pressure was significantly positively correlated with grip strength (r = 0.407, p < 0.05). Binomial logistic regression analysis revealed that factors associated with low tongue pressure included being underweight (odds ratio [OR] = 7.451, p = 0.005, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.857–29.898), being overweight/obese (OR = 18.384, p = 0.004, 95% CI = 2.483–136.112), and having lower grip strength (OR = 0.864, p = 0.015, 95% CI = 0.768–0.972). Conclusions: Low tongue pressure is closely associated with being underweight, being overweight, and having lower grip strength among young women.