title: Self-reported tooth loss and bone mineral density in older men and women.
abstract: It has been reported that postmenopausal women with osteoporosis have a higher than expected number of dentures and fewer teeth than women without osteoporosis. The relationship between self-reported tooth loss and bone mineral density (BMD) at the hip and spine in 608 men and 874 women, aged 65-76 years, was examined in a cross-sectional study. BMD was measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry. Twenty-four per cent of men and 27% of women had no natural teeth. There was a consistent decrease in BMD with increasing numbers of teeth lost in men. This relationship was independent of age, body mass index and smoking habit (trochanter r = -0.14, p < 0.0005; Ward's triangle r = -0.1, p < 0.005; and lumbar spine r = -0.07, p < 0.05) with between 5% and 9% difference in mean BMD at various sites between men who had all their teeth and men who had no teeth. There was no significant association between self-reported tooth loss and BMD in women. Tooth loss is associated with lower BMD in men; this relationship is less consistent in women.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Gerontology Unit, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Reader
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Khaw
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000503:physiopathology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004245:DMF Index; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015663:Osteoporosis, Postmenopausal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*