Regular Tooth Brushing is Associated with a Decreased Risk of Metabolic Syndrome According to a Medical Check-Up Database

Abstract

Associations have been reported between periodontal disease and increased cardiovascular disease risk, as well as between healthy self-reported tooth brushing behavior and reduced cardiovascular disease risk. We examined the association between self-reported tooth brushing behavior and the risk of metabolic syndrome (MetS) using a large medical check-up database. A total of 12,548 medical checkup records from a medical screening center in a city in southwest Japan were assessed. Subjects were aged 30 to 59 years. As lifestyle is associated with both tooth brushing and MetS, many lifestyle variables were considered as potential confounders. Logistic regression model were employed with a list of 127 lifestyle variables. Twenty variables associated with both tooth brushing and MetS were selected for both males and females. Furthermore, final confounding variables were selected by principal component analysis to avoid collinearity problems. The association of tooth brushing and MetS was evaluated for males and females separately by calculating adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with selected confounders plus age. The association between daily tooth brushing frequency and MetS risk for both genders was significant after adjusting for confounders, with the risk of MetS decreasing with increased frequency of daily tooth brushing (adjusted OR = 0.57 (95%Cl:0.48-0.81), 0.50 (95%Cl:0.35-0.71), 0.42 (95%Cl: 0.29-0.61) for males and adjusted OR = 0.65 (95%Cl:0.48-0.87), 0.44 (95%Cl:0.32-0.62) for females). Therefore, oral hygiene, including the frequency of tooth brushing as a significant component, may be an important factor in preventing MetS.

Self-reported oral hygiene practices with emphasis on frequency of tooth brushing

“…The relationship between systemic diseases and self-care activities favoring oral health and hygiene may thus be influenced by other lifestyle behaviors. [ 27 ] Our study found that people suffering from a systemic disease reduced the frequency of tooth brushing. Therefore, from a public health perspective, improving tooth brushing habits is conducive not only to preventing the most generalized dental diseases, but also, and more importantly, to reducing common risk factors for the principal non-communicable diseases.…”

“…Various studies have shown an association between tooth brushing and a reduced risk of chronic diseases. [ 27 – 31 ] A number of theories have posited that various aspects of lifestyle behavior are interrelated. The relationship between systemic diseases and self-care activities favoring oral health and hygiene may thus be influenced by other lifestyle behaviors.…”

The Need for Oral Hygiene Care and Periodontal Status among Hospitalized Gastric Cancer Patients

“…Multiple studies reported strong correlations between toothbrushing frequency and metabolic syndrome, hemodialysis [ 38 , 39 , 40 ], or cerebral strokes [ 5 ]. The incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia, which is frequently associated with plaque or oral debris [ 8 ], declined in nonventilated patients who performed oral hygiene [ 41 ].…”

Association between Oral Hygiene and Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Six studies reported oral hygiene status, six studies reported tooth-brushing frequency, two studies reported interdental cleaning, and one study reported dental visits as study factors. In the meta-analysis, a study by Tsutsumi et al [43] was treated as two separate studies, as it reported the results independently for males and females instead of total samples. A similar approach was applied to a study by Kim et al [44], as it provided separate data on interdental brushing and flossing.…”