Dental Deposits Are Differentially Associated With Periodontal Conditions and the Number of Teeth in Japanese Community‐Dwelling Individuals: The Nagasaki Islands Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective This study aimed to determine how dental deposits are associated with periodontal conditions and the number of teeth in Goto Islands' residents. Background Previous studies have shown that dental deposits increase the risk of developing periodontal diseases. However, the relationships between dental deposits and the periodontal/dentitional conditions in a super‐aging society remain unclear. Materials and Methods A cross‐sectional study involving 671 participants (age: 65.0 ± 12.0 years) was conducted using data from the Nagasaki Islands Study (NaIS). Participants underwent a routine medical examination. Information on oral hygiene and smoking status was collected from a self‐administered questionnaire. Dental examinations were conducted to determine the number of teeth, probing pocket depth (PPD), clinical attachment level (CAL), bleeding on probing (BOP) ratio, calculus index (CI) score, and debris index (DI) score. Saliva samples were collected from the participants to determine the levels of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans by real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between dental deposits and periodontal/dentitional conditions. Results Multivariable logistic regression analyses show that greater DI score was significantly associated with higher BOP ratio (OR = 2.51, 95% CI: 1.75–3.61), greater CAL (OR = 1.51, 95% CI: 1.02–2.23), and fewer teeth (OR = 1.70, 95% CI: 1.04–2.76). Greater CI score was significantly associated with a higher BOP ratio (OR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.47–3.23), deeper PPD (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.22–3.50), and more teeth (OR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.08–0.23). Conclusions Debris and calculus deposition were associated with more severe periodontal conditions, but calculus deposition was strongly associated with more teeth. The association between calculus deposition and more teeth may be an emerging trend in super‐aging societies, and future longitudinal studies are warranted to elucidate the changing relationship between calculus and number of teeth.

Keywords

• dental deposits
• epidemiology
• periodontal diseases
• tooth loss