Relationship between Type of Teeth and BMI of Thai Elderly

Material and Methods: Subjects were 666 subjects from 4 study cities, aged 55 years and above who fulfilled the criteria of inclusion.They were assigned into 4 groups regarding to the subjects' type of teeth, namely edentulous group (Eden), complete denture group (CD), Natural with replaced teeth group (NRT), and natural teeth group (NT). There were 666 subjects from 4 study cities across the country included in the study. The weight and height of each subject were measured and the body mass index was calculated. ANOVA and Chi square statistics were used to analyse the data.

Results: Mean BMI and standard deviation of the edentulous group, complete denture group, partial denture group and natural teeth group were 22.5+3.9, 22.5+4.1, 23.3+3.7, and 24.6+3.7 respectively. The four means differed statistically through the comparison by ANOVA test. Scheffe multiple comparisons showed that the NT group had higher BMI than the others. But differences among Eden, CD and NRT group could not be detected. When arranging subjects into groups according to BMI (under 18, 18-21, 21-23 and over 23), Chi square test also showed statistical significance among the four groups.

Conclusion: Elderly with natural teeth has higher BMI than other groups. These evidences may suggest the relationship between health and oral health of the elderly.