Impaired glucose metabolism is associated with tooth loss in middle-aged adults: The Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study 1966

Aim We investigated the association of impaired glucose metabolism with tooth loss in adults in the Northern Finland Birth Cohort Study 1966 (NFBC1966). Methods We examined 4394 participants from the 46-year follow-up of the NFBC1966. Self-reported number of teeth as well as insulin and glucose values, taken during a standard oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), served as the primary study variables. A multinomial logistic regression model served to analyse (unadjusted, smoking-adjusted and fully adjusted) the association between number of teeth (0–24, 25–27, 28–32) and glucose metabolism in women and men. Results Among women, type 2 diabetes – whether previously known or detected during screening – pointed to a higher likelihood of 0–24 teeth (fully adjusted OR = 2.99, 95%CI = 1.54–5.80) and 25–27 teeth (OR = 1.91, 95%CI = 1.18–3.08) than did normal glucose tolerance. Similarly, impaired fasting glucose and impaired glucose tolerance together indicated a higher likelihood of 0–24 teeth (OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.09–2.69) than did normal glucose tolerance. A similar, statistically non-significant, pattern emerged among men. Number of teeth associated with OGTT insulin and glucose curves as well as with the Matsuda index in both women and men. Conclusions Tooth loss strongly associated with impaired glucose metabolism in middle-aged Finnish women.