title: The relationship of night eating to oral health and obesity in community dental clinic patients.
abstract: Using a sample of dental clinic patients, this study examined the relationship between night eating and oral health and obesity. For this study, 174 individuals attending an academic faculty dental practice completed the Night Eating Questionnaire and provided information about their tobacco use, medical conditions, height, and weight. Oral health data from the previous three years were obtained from their dental records by a licensed dentist. Regression analysis was used to predict oral health and obesity status when controlling for known confounding variables. Evening hyperphagia (7.1%) and frequent nocturnal eating upon awakening (2.2%) were not prevalent in this sample and reflect prevalence estimates of night eating syndrome in the general population. Nocturnal eating was a significant predictor of missing teeth, periodontal disease, and active decay; however, evening hyperphagia was not a significant predictor of oral disease. Individuals who reported nocturnal ingestions of food were 4.4 times more likely to be overweight or obese than those who did not. Evening hyperphagia was not associated with an increased risk of being overweight or obese.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, UMKC, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lundgren
authors.forename: Becky M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Spresser
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Harkins
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zolton
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D021081:Chronobiology Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D004245:DMF Index; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006963:Hyperphagia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri / Q000453:epidemiology; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009909:Oral Health; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult