Shortened dental arch and body mass index in adults 45-65 years of age: results from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005-2008

Objective: Many people have dental arches with unrestored edentulous areas posterior to natural teeth. One dental pattern is the shortened dental arch (SDA). As a result of the lack of teeth, individuals with an SDA may eat a restricted diet, including soft, highly processed foods. Such diets may increase the risk of being overweight or of obesity. We examined whether there was an association between SDA and body mass index (BMI) in adults 45-65 years of age. Methods: The data for this study were US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2005-2008 merged files. There were 5,773 eligible participants. The data were examined for frequencies, and the results were analysed using the chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: There were 69.3% participants with a shortened mandibular arch and a BMI of >= 25 compared with 71.8% of participants who had a complete mandibular dental arch and a BMI of >= 25 (P = 0.7246). There were 70.6% of participants with a shortened maxillary arch and a BMI of >= 25 compared with 71.9% of participants who had a complete maxillary dental arch and a BMI of >= 25 (P = 0.8859). The adjusted odds ratio for shortened mandibular dental arch was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.46-1.08) for a BMI of >= 25 as compared with individuals with a BMI < 25. The adjusted odds ratio for shortened maxillary dental arch was 1.06 (95% CI: 0.63-1.78) as compared with individuals with a BMI < 25. Conclusions: The research hypothesis that an SDA was related to higher BMI, and the corollary that restored or complete dentition had better odds of a lower BMI, were not supported.