Association between parity and dentition status among Japanese women: Japan public health center-based oral health study

Abstract

BackgroundSeveral studies have shown that parity is associated with oral health problems such as tooth loss and dental caries. In Japan, however, no studies have examined the association. The purpose of this study was to determine whether parity is related to dentition status, including the number of teeth present, dental caries and filled teeth, and the posterior occlusion, in a Japanese population by comparing women with men.MethodsA total of 1,211 subjects, who participated both in the Japan Public Health Center-Based (JPHC) Study Cohort I in 1990 and the dental survey in 2005, were used for the study. Information on parity or number of children was collected from a self-completed questionnaire administered in 1990 for the JPHC Study Cohort I, and health behaviors and clinical dentition status were obtained from the dental survey in 2005. The association between parity or number of children and dentition status was analyzed, by both unadjusted-for and adjusted-for socio-demographic and health behavioral factors, using a generalized linear regression model.ResultsParity is significantly related to the number of teeth present and n-FTUs (Functional Tooth Units of natural teeth), regardless of socio-demographic and health behavioral factors, in female subjects. The values of these variables had a significantly decreasing trend with the rise of parity: numbers of teeth present (p for trend = 0.046) and n-FTUs (p for trend = 0.026). No relationships between the number of children and dentition status were found in male subjects.ConclusionHigher-parity women are more likely to lose teeth, especially posterior occluding relations. These results suggest that measures to narrow the discrepancy by parity should be taken for promoting women’s oral health. Delivery of appropriate information and messages to pregnant women as well as enlightenment of oral health professionals about dental management of pregnant women may be an effective strategy.

Associations between the Number of Natural Teeth and the Maternal Age at Childbirth or History of Parity in Postmenopausal Women: The 2010–2012 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…18 Similarly, the number of teeth negatively correlated with the number of children among white and black non-Hispanic American women and among Danish women. 19,20 However, another report found no evidence supporting the hypothesis that the more children a woman has the more teeth she loses.…”

“…There is a saying that a mother loses one tooth every time she gives birth to a child. 18,20 Pregnancy and parturition are known to have a tremendous effect on maternal health. 18 Some consider that pregnancy and lactation, with the associated calcium depletion, could aggravate the development of caries.…”

“…18,20 Pregnancy and parturition are known to have a tremendous effect on maternal health. 18 Some consider that pregnancy and lactation, with the associated calcium depletion, could aggravate the development of caries. 22 During pregnancy, certain salivary cariogenic microorganisms may increase in number, while salivary pH decreases.…”

“…25 Even though the inflammation of periodontal tissues that occurs during pregnancy may be temporary and abates after childbirth, the destruction of periodontal tissue persists after childbirth. 18 The functional dentition concept emphasized that a person needs a minimum number of natural teeth to have adequate dental function without the aid of prosthetic replacements. 28,29 An earlier report suggested that people are able to chew most foods when they have more than 20 teeth; thus, 21 teeth became a cut-off value, since having 21 or more teeth is considered functional dentition.…”

Gain a child, lose a tooth? Using natural experiments to distinguish between fact and fiction

“…For example, 70-year-old Swedish women without children were found to have 5.0 to 6.6 more teeth than their counterparts with five or more children 20. Similarly, a study from Japan found an age-adjusted difference of 2.97 teeth between women with no and women with more than four children 21. However, given that unobserved confounders may affect both oral health and fertility, such results should be interpreted with caution.…”