Cross-sectional study of the factors associated with the number of teeth in middle-aged and older persons with intellectual disabilities.
T Nonoyama, K Nonoyama, Y Shimazaki
PMID 35929423WHAT IT FOUND
Middle-aged and older adults with intellectual disabilities in Japan lost teeth earlier than the general population.
Those without regular dental check-ups had significantly fewer teeth, and those with Down syndrome had the greatest tooth loss compared to other diagnoses.
Key findings
01Participants who did not undergo regular dental check-ups had significantly fewer teeth (average 2.12 fewer) than those who did.
02Individuals with Down syndrome had significantly fewer teeth (average 0.93 fewer) than those with intellectual disability alone.
03Tooth loss increased sharply with age; adults aged 70 and over were 54.62 times more likely to have 0–9 teeth compared to those aged 40–49.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that lack of dental check-ups causes tooth loss, only that they are associated. Data on the number of teeth was proxy-reported by caregivers or relatives and could not be verified by dental examination. The study was limited to facilities in one prefecture in Japan with a low participation rate, so results may not apply to other populations. The study did not assess the actual oral health status (such as gum disease or cavities) or the use of toothpaste.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest. The work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP17K17389.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that brushing teeth more frequently directly prevents tooth loss in this population, as the association between brushing frequency and tooth count was inconsistent across different statistical analyses and the study could not verify actual oral hygiene quality.