Sleep disorders as independent predictors of taste dysfunction risk

Abstract

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to investigate the association between sleep disorders and the prevalence of taste dysfunction and the mediation effect of oral microbe in adults over 40 years. Materials and methods Cross-sectional data were utilized from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2011–2014). Regression models were employed, adjusting for demographic variables and covariates. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, sex, ethnicity, and education level. Multiplicative interactions were assessed through likelihood ratio tests. Additionally, the impact of sleep disturbance on the alpha diversity of the oral microbiome was examined using the rank-sum test (significance threshold: p 0.05). Furthermore, compared with the non-sleep disorder group, patients with sleep disorders demonstrated decreased numbers of OTUs, Shannon-Wiener indices, and Faith’s phylogenetic diversity indices in the oral microbiota (p 0.05.) Conclusion Sleep disorders independently correlate with a higher risk of taste dysfunctions, potentially associated with alterations in oral flora.

Keywords

• Taste dysfunction
• Sleep disorder
• Oral flora
• Cross-sectional study