Dental health and parity in three 70-year-old cohorts

In three cohorts of 70-yr-olds in Gothenburg, Sweden, born in 1901/02, 1906/07 and 1911/12, the relationship between oral health and parity was studied in 713 women and between oral health and the reported number of children in 660 men of the same cohorts. For women in all three cohorts, the number of teeth decreased in relation to increasing number of children that they had given birth to. Significantly more women with high parity were edentulous in one or both jaws compared to the other groups. Among parous compared to nulliparous women the age for becoming edentulous occurred earlier. The number of intact teeth was lower in parous compared to nulliparous women. Among the men no relation was found between oral health and the number of their children. When socioeconomic factors were taken into consideration the above described relations between declining dental health and increasing parity remained on about the same level of significance. Although pronounced cohort differences were found, a relationship between parity and dental health was found in all cohorts, indicating a general biological influence of repeated pregnancies.