A clear link between obesity and tooth loss has been confirmed in the largest study of its kind of over 200,000 adults which examined BMI, tooth retention, tooth location and age.1 The major new analysis of health insurance claims and health check-up data found that the higher the BMI, the greater the risk of tooth loss, especially in the over-40s. The research group based at Shiga University of Medical Science, Japan, collaborated with the Japanese company Sunstar to analyse the relationship between BMI (Body Mass Index, calculated from body weight and height) and the numbers of teeth in each age group, and compared the positions of tooth loss between obese (BMI ≥25) and non-obese subjects using the large database of health insurance claims and health check-ups.

A higher BMI was associated with fewer residual teeth in the over-40s. Obese people lost more teeth, especially molars (ie posterior teeth), compared to non-obese people. Smoking habits, in addition to obesity, increased the risk of tooth loss in positions different from those likely to be affected by obesity.Obesity was also identified as a risk factor for tooth loss independent of sex, age, smoking, and diabetes. Although obesity had been known to be related to tooth loss, this data analysis enabled it to be assessed by the level of the BMI and residual teeth.

Preventing tooth loss, chewing food well, and having good dietary habits help maintain quality of life (QOL) and promote general health. The research based on real-world big data demonstrates that obesity, a risk factor for various diseases, accelerates tooth loss at a relatively young age. People with obesity should be encouraged to prevent tooth loss and maintain good health by visiting the dentist early to treat periodontal disease and caries and by caring for their molars with a proper oral hygiene routine.