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Updated: Aug 17, 2025

Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
Sugar intake above international recommendations and oral disease burden: A population-based study
Lorena Lucia Costa Ladeira1, Gustavo G Nascimento2,3,4, Fabio Renato Manzolli Leite2,3,4
1Postgraduate Program of Dentistry, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís, Brazil.
Objective:
To evaluate the association between added sugar intake above the daily limit for the risk of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and the Chronic Oral Disease Burden in adolescents.
Methods:
This was a population-based study using cross-sectional data nested to RPS Cohorts Consortium, São Luís, Brazil, from the 18-19-year-old follow-up (n = 2515). High consumption of added sugars was estimated according to the limits of the World Health Organization guidelines (WHO) (≥5% of total energy/day) and the American Heart Association statement (AHA) (≥25 g/day). The Chronic Oral Disease Burden was a latent variable (number of decayed teeth, periodontal probing depth ≥4 mm, clinical attachment level ≥3 mm, and bleeding on probing). Models were adjusted for Socioeconomic Status, sex, obesity, and plaque index and analyzed through structural equation modeling.
Results:
Adolescents had high sugar consumption according to the WHO (78.6%) and AHA (81.4%) recommendations. High sugar intake, according to WHO (SC = 0.096; p = 0.007) and AHA (SC = 0.056; p = 0.027), was associated with a heavier Chronic Oral Disease Burden. Even half of the recommended dose was sufficient to affect some oral disease indicators.
Conclusion:
Sugar intake over international statements to prevent NCDs is associated with higher Chronic Oral Disease Burden among adolescents.
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