Abstract
Introduction: An inverse association between calcium intake and oral health has been reported. Oral health status may be influenced by gender. However, it remains unclear whether this gender variation reflects differences in sources of calcium intake or differences in exposure to risk factors for oral disease between men and women.
Objectives: To investigate whether gender differences in tooth loss is influenced by caries-risk and sources of dietary calcium intake.
Method/Design: This is a prospective study, which included 432 Danish adults (30-60 y) with information on dietary calcium intake in 1982/83 and tooth loss from 1987/88 to 1993/94. Total calcium intake, estimated by 7-d food records or diet history interviews, was divided into dairy and non-dairy sources. Calcium intake was natural log transformed to improve normality. Results: Among men, a unit increase in dairy calcium intake was significantly associated with a reduced risk of tooth loss (Incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.61; 95%CI= 0.44 – 0.88) even after adjustment for tooth count in 1987/88, age, education, civil status (model 1), smoking, alcohol, sucrose and vitamin and/or mineral supplement
intake (model 2), time since last dental visit, presence of oral dryness (model 3) and high Lactobacillus count (model 4). Among women, diary calcium was not statistically associated with tooth loss in the crude and adjusted models (from model 1 to model 3). However, the association became highly significant once Lactobacillus count was included in model 4 (IRR= 0.55; 95%CI= 0.34 – 0.87). Non-dairy calcium was not associated with tooth loss among men and women in
the fully adjusted models. Conclusions: Dietary calcium intake, particularly calcium from dairy products, seems to protect against loss of teeth among adult men and women. The previous gender difference found in the relation
between calcium intake and tooth loss may be the result of differences in caries-risk between genders.
Key Words: Dairy Products: Dietary Calcium: Gender: Oral
Health: Tooth Loss.
Objectives: To investigate whether gender differences in tooth loss is influenced by caries-risk and sources of dietary calcium intake.
Method/Design: This is a prospective study, which included 432 Danish adults (30-60 y) with information on dietary calcium intake in 1982/83 and tooth loss from 1987/88 to 1993/94. Total calcium intake, estimated by 7-d food records or diet history interviews, was divided into dairy and non-dairy sources. Calcium intake was natural log transformed to improve normality. Results: Among men, a unit increase in dairy calcium intake was significantly associated with a reduced risk of tooth loss (Incidence rate ratio (IRR) = 0.61; 95%CI= 0.44 – 0.88) even after adjustment for tooth count in 1987/88, age, education, civil status (model 1), smoking, alcohol, sucrose and vitamin and/or mineral supplement
intake (model 2), time since last dental visit, presence of oral dryness (model 3) and high Lactobacillus count (model 4). Among women, diary calcium was not statistically associated with tooth loss in the crude and adjusted models (from model 1 to model 3). However, the association became highly significant once Lactobacillus count was included in model 4 (IRR= 0.55; 95%CI= 0.34 – 0.87). Non-dairy calcium was not associated with tooth loss among men and women in
the fully adjusted models. Conclusions: Dietary calcium intake, particularly calcium from dairy products, seems to protect against loss of teeth among adult men and women. The previous gender difference found in the relation
between calcium intake and tooth loss may be the result of differences in caries-risk between genders.
Key Words: Dairy Products: Dietary Calcium: Gender: Oral
Health: Tooth Loss.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Dairy calcium intake and tooth loss among Danish adults. |
| Publisher | Karger Publishers |
| Volume | 58 |
| Edition | (suppl 3) |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 25 Oct 2011 |
| Externally published | Yes |
| Event | 11th European Nutrition Conference - Madrid, Spain Duration: 26 Oct 2011 → 29 Oct 2011 |
Conference
| Conference | 11th European Nutrition Conference |
|---|---|
| Abbreviated title | FENS |
| Country/Territory | Spain |
| City | Madrid |
| Period | 26/10/11 → 29/10/11 |