Association Between Tooth Loss and Functional Dyspepsia and Gastro-Intestinal Reflex in Adults, Isfahan

Few studies have assessed the relationship between tooth loss and upper gastro-intestinal (GI) disorders including functional dyspepsia (FD) and gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dental status and FD, its components and GERD among a large group of Iranian adults. In a cross-sectional study on 4109 Isfahanian adults, dental status was evaluated and participants were categorized into three main groups: those with full dentition, individuals who had lost 1-5 teeth and those who had lost >5 teeth. FD, its components (early satiation, postprandial fullness and epigastric pain) and GERD were defined using Rome III criteria. The relationship between dental status and gastrointestinal disorders was examined using logistic regression in different models and P-values less than 0.05 were considered statistically significant. After adjustment for potential confounders, we found no significant association between dental status, FD and GERD. However, individuals who had lost 1-5 teeth and >5 teeth had 1.34 and 2.09 times the risk of early satiation, respectively. In addition, individuals who had lost 1-5 teeth were 1.24 times more likely to have postprandial fullness and epigastric pain. Stratified analyses by gender also revealed a significant association between dental status and GERD as well as FD in females; such that those who had lost 1-5 teeth had 1.33 times the chance for GERD and those who had lost >5 teeth were 2.01 times more likely to have FD, compared with those with full dentition. We found significant positive associations between tooth loss, GERD and FD in women, but not in men. We also found significant relationships between tooth loss and components of FD, especially early satiety in whole population.