title: Edentulism and associated factors among community-dwelling middle-aged and elderly adults in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the prevalence of self-reported edentulism and its associated risk factors among community-dwelling adults aged 45 years and older in China.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data from the national baseline survey (2011-2012) of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) were used for this study (N = 17 167). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to assess the predictors of edentulism. Models 1 and 2 were based on the whole sample. Models 3 and 4 were based on the subsample (N = 9933) from whom anthropometric and blood biomarker data were available.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of edentulism was 8.64% among Chinese adults aged 45 and above. As shown by Model 1, older age was a robust predictor for edentulism (odds ratio [OR] = 3.81 for people aged 55-64; OR = 11.22 for people aged 65-74; OR = 24.05 for people aged 75 and above). Other factors positively associated with edentulism included being female (OR = 1.25), rural residence (OR = 1.30), asthma (OR = 1.48), depression (OR = 1.20), reduced physical function (OR = 1.37) and current smoking status (OR = 1.36). People with higher educational levels (OR = 0.75 for people who can read and write; OR = 0.64 for people who obtained a junior high school education or above) and better-off economic status (OR = 0.80) were less likely to be edentate. The association between edentulism and age, educational level, economic status and physical function remained significant in Model 3, and in addition, being underweight appeared as another strong predictor (OR = 1.93).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The estimated prevalence of edentulism and the identified associated factors will provide epidemiologic evidence for future research and interventions in the target population in China.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Chong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Colman
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
authors.forename: Yanqi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009066:Mouth, Edentulous / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: China; associated factors; edentulism; middle-aged and elderly adults