Sugary Snack and Drink Consumption and Tooth Retention Among Residents with Disabilities in Thai Foster Homes: A...

To examine the association between sugary snack and drink consumption frequency and tooth retention among residents with disabilities living in Thai foster homes.

We employed a cross-sectional design using secondary data from a World Health Organization (WHO)-based oral health survey conducted in October 2025 across two government-run foster homes in Thailand (parent survey n = 301). The analytic sample included 247 residents aged 13-59 years with permanent dentition and complete tooth-level records. Remaining teeth were calculated using a 28-tooth definition (excluding third molars) and classified into three ordinal groups. High-frequency sugary snack/drink intake (>1 time/day vs. ≤1 time/day) was measured via interviewer-administered questionnaire, and tooth-retention category was modeled using ordinal logistic regression.

High-frequency sugary snack/drink consumption was reported by 88.7% of residents. After adjustment, this exposure was not associated with tooth-retention category (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.83; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.26-2.62). However, age was strongly associated with lower retention (aOR 0.90 per year; 95% CI 0.87-0.92), and partial caregiver assistance was independently associated with reduced retention (aOR 0.47; 95% CI 0.24-0.92).

In this cross-sectional study of residents with disabilities in Thai foster homes, high-frequency sugary snack/drink consumption was not independently associated with tooth-retention category after adjustment. Age and partial caregiver assistance were associated with lower tooth retention, indicating a need to strengthen routine preventive support for residents with greater functional dependency alongside facility-level strategies to limit free-sugar exposure.