Food avoidance is associated with reduced dentitions and edentulousness

Area of Science:

• Oral health research
• Dental public health
• Nutritional epidemiology

Background:

• Food avoidance due to chewing difficulties is a prevalent issue affecting dietary quality and health.
• Understanding the determinants of food avoidance is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the associations between food avoidance and dental status, age, gender, and socio-economic status (SES).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving Chinese (n=1587) and Vietnamese (n=3073) adult populations aged 20-40 years and above.
• Dental status was assessed using the hierarchical dental functional classification (HDFC) system.
• Food avoidance was measured for common soft and hard foods, and associations were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression.

Main Results:

• Reduced dentition (e.g., <10 teeth per jaw), incomplete anterior regions, and impaired premolar/molar regions were significantly associated with increased food avoidance.
• Edentulous participants had double the odds of food avoidance.
• Higher age, lower SES (in Chinese sample), and being female (in Vietnamese sample) were also linked to greater food avoidance.

Conclusions:

• Dental status, particularly reduced dentition and edentulousness, are significant risk indicators for food avoidance.
• Age is a consistent factor, while SES and gender show sample-specific associations.
• Findings highlight the importance of maintaining functional dentition for adequate food intake and overall health.