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. 2021 Jun 29;16(1):105.
doi: 10.1007/s11657-021-00970-1.

Number of teeth is associated with hip fracture and femoral neck bone mineral density in the NHANES

Yau-Hua Yu  1 , Wai S Cheung  2 , Donald R Miller  3   4 , Bjorn Steffensen  2
Affiliations

Number of teeth is associated with hip fracture and femoral neck bone mineral density in the NHANES

Yau-Hua Yu et al. Arch Osteoporos. .

Abstract

Purpose/introduction: Tooth loss has been found to be associated with fractures and osteoporosis. However, the associations between number of teeth with bone mineral density as well as with hip fractures have not been explored in the same study setting.

Methods: Data from the cross-sectional National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2005-2010, 2013-2014, and 2017-2018) with completed femoral neck bone mineral density (BMD) measurements, osteoporosis questionnaires, and dentition examinations were analyzed. A total of 15,198 participants, with a mean age of 53.9 and diverse ethnicity, males (52%), and females (48%), were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analyses for self-reported hip fractures, self-reported osteoporosis, and measured low femoral BMD accounting for traditional risk factors were tested for the total number of natural teeth (NoT) present, or by NoT in the anterior or posterior segments.

Results: Subjects with fewer natural teeth present were more likely to report a hip fracture, osteoporosis, or having lower levels of femoral neck BMD. With one additional tooth present in the mouth, there was a decreased association with self-reported hip fracture [OR(95%CI) = 0.98(0.96-0.99); P = 0.005] or with less likelihood of having low femoral neck BMD [OR(95%CI) = 0.99(0.97-1.00); P = 0.007].

Conclusions: With the limitation of the cross-sectional study design, results should be interpreted cautiously, yet our analyses point to an association between a decreased number of natural teeth present and self-reported hip fractures or low femoral neck BMD. The number of teeth present could be potentially utilized for assessing risks of hip fracture and osteoporosis. Future research is needed to validate our findings.

Keywords: Bone mineral density; Dentition; Femoral neck; Hip fractures; Osteoporosis; Permanent.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest

None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The associations between NoT and femoral neck BMD. a Distribution of the study population (percentages) based the total NoT (strata of 0 to 28) was plotted (green line). Red- and blue-dotted lines are the mean anterior (red) or the mean posterior (blue) NoT based on the participants total NoT. b Mean femoral neck BMD measurements based on the total, anterior, and posterior NoT. c Mean total, anterior, and posterior NoT based on the participants’ age. d Illustration of age-adjusted linear regression for the total, anterior, or posterior NoT with the femoral neck BMD measurements
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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