Abstract
OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of chewing impairment according to sex, and its associated factors in adults.METHODSA cross-sectional population-based study was carried out with 2,016 subjects aged between 20 and 59 years in Florianopolis, SC, Southern Brazil, in 2009. The sampling was undertaken in two stages, census tracts and households. The outcome 'chewing impairment' was obtained from the question "How often do you have chewing impairment due to teeth or denture problems?". Analyses were carried out with demographics and socioeconomic factors, dental services utilization, and self-related oral health using multivariable logistic regression and stratified by sex.RESULTSThe response rate was 85.3% (1,720 adults). The prevalence of chewing impairment was 13,0% (95%CI 10.3;15.8) and 18,0% (95%CI 14.6;21.3) among men and women, respectively. Women and men fifty years old and over, who had ten or fewer natural teeth and those who reported toothache were more likely to have chewing impairment. The combination of tooth loss and toothache on chewing impairment was almost four times higher among women.CONCLUSIONSThe magnitude of the associations among socioeconomic, demographics and self-related oral health factors was different according to sex, in general higher for women, with emphasis on toothache. The findings suggest that the impact of oral conditions varies by sex.
Highlights
Mastication is one of the principle oral functions and an impairment in its ability, understood by assessing the individual on difficulty chewing,[5] is one of the most immediate consequences of oral health problems and disorders, such as missing teeth.[16]
The magnitude of the associations among socioeconomic, demographics and self-related oral health factors was different according to sex, in general higher for women, with emphasis on toothache
The findings suggest that the impact of oral conditions varies by sex
Summary
Mastication is one of the principle oral functions and an impairment in its ability, understood by assessing the individual on difficulty chewing,[5] is one of the most immediate consequences of oral health problems and disorders, such as missing teeth.[16] The number of teeth influences fiber intake, in a positive relationship with chewing: the more teeth, the better the individual can chew and the greater the untake of foods rich in fiber, vitamins, folic acid, calcium and protein.[11,14,21] Difficulty in chewing fiber rich foods can be associated with increased risk of systemic illness, such as cardiovascular disease, and with oral diseases, such as oropharyngeal cancer.[14,23] In a health survey of adults in the South of Brazil, it was highlighted that 27.0% of individuals had difficulty chewing.[1] A nationwide study in Brazil in 2010 showed a 31.0% prevalence of difficulty chewing in adults.a. Mastication perceived as regular or bad in adults is associated with the external environment (for example, location of residence) and with individual characteristics (sex, age, self-reported skin color, income and schooling).[6,7] Adults from low income groups, who reported having black skin color, with low levels of schooling, tooth loss and no use of dental prosthesis reported being more dissatisfied with their ability to chew, compared with their peers.[6] Health related behavior such as making little use of health care services and poor self-perceived oral health have a negative influence on reports of difficulty chewing.[7]
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