Population prevalence of edentulism and its association with depression and self-rated health

Edentulism Edentulism is associated with various adverse health outcomes but treatment options in low-and middle-income countries(LMICs) are limited. Data on its prevalence and its effect on mental health and overall-health is lacking, especially from LMICs. Self-reported data on complete edentulism obtained by standardized questionnaires on 201,953 adults aged = 18 years from 50 countries which participated in the World Health Survey(WHS) 2002-2004 were analyzed. Age and sex-standarized edentulism prevalence ranged from 0.1%(95% CI = 0.0-0.3)(Myanmar) to 14.5%(95% CI = 13.1-15.9)(Zimbabwe), and 2.1% )(95% CI = 1.5-3.0)(Ghana) to 32.3%(95% CI = 29.0-35.8)(Brazil) in the younger and older age groups respectively. Edentulism was significantly associated with depression(OR 1.57, 95% CI = 1.23-2.00) and poor self-rated health(OR 1.38, 95% CI = 1.03-1.83) in the younger group with no significant associations in the older age group. Our findings highlight the edentulism-related health loss in younger persons from LMICs. The relative burden of edentulism is likely to grow as populations age and live longer. Given its life-long nature and common risk factors with other NCDs, edentulism surveillance and prevention should be an integral part of the global agenda of NCD control.