High Parity Is an Independent Risk Factor for Tooth Loss in Women: A Community-Based Takahata Study in Japan

Abstract

Risk factors for tooth loss have been widely examined previously. However, no previous study has comprehensively investigated the risk factors, including lifestyle-related specific factors (parity, oral health habits, and socioeconomic status), for fewer than 20 teeth among women in the general population in Japan. This cross-sectional study explored the association of these risk factors, especially parity, with having fewer than 20 teeth among Japanese women. A self-reported questionnaire including items on lifestyle-related risk factors (parity, oral health, diet [e.g., alcohol and sucrose consumption]) and socioeconomic status was sent by post to female residents (age ≥ 40 years) of Takahata town, Yamagata Prefecture, in 2005. Multivariate logistic regression analysis including 3,854 eligible participants was performed to investigate the association between various factors (including parity) and having fewer than 20 teeth. The results indicated that, compared with nulliparous women, women with two, three, and four completed pregnancies had 2.485-, 2.844-, and 4.305-fold increased risk of having fewer than 20 teeth, respectively. Our study is the largest-scale study of the general female population in Japan and the first study to comprehensively investigate risk factors (parity, oral health status, and socioeconomic status) for fewer than 20 teeth. We thus found that higher parity, especially, two or more, was independent risk factors for having less than 20 teeth among Japanese women. In conclusion, the present study emphasizes the importance of good oral health habits in women, especially, during pregnancy and in the postpartum period, to maintain 20 or more teeth.

Association between periodontal health and trait anxiety in Egyptian women: A cross‐sectional study

“…Similarly, in a previous cross‐sectional study (Scheutz et al., 2002) higher parity was shown to be significantly associated with periodontal attachment loss, after adjusting for confounding factors. Another study (Ishikawa et al., 2021) posited that one possible cause for tooth loss during or after pregnancy could be related to periodontal destruction occurring while conceiving, which emphasizes the potential long‐term effects of pregnancy on the teeth. This could partly be ascribed to increased vascular permeability and variations in levels of female sex hormones that are particularly exaggerated during the gestation period and subsequently alter the periodontal tissue response histologically (Markou et al., 2009).…”