Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To investigate associations between food avoidance and dental status, age, gender, and socio-economic status (SES). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Chinese sample comprised 1463 dentulous (>/= 1 tooth in each jaw) and 124 edentulous (in one or both jaws) participants aged >/= 40 yrs. The Vietnamese sample comprised 2820 dentulous and 253 edentulous participants aged >/= 20 yrs. Food avoidance due to chewing difficulties was scored for regionally common 4 soft and 4 hard foods. Dental status was classified according to the multi-level hierarchical dental functional classification system (HDFC) based on the number and location of teeth and posterior occlusal pairs. Associations were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: For dentulous participants, the chance of avoiding foods was significantly larger with < 10 teeth in each jaw (OR = 2.26 (Chinese sample), respectively 1.74 (Vietnamese sample)), incomplete anterior region (OR = 1.78, respectively 1.84), "impaired" premolar region (OR = 2.22, respectively 1.71), or "impaired" molar region (OR = 2.46, respectively 1.84). Edentulous participants had twice the chance of avoiding foods (OR = 2.01 respectively 2.20). Avoiding foods was significantly associated with higher age. Participants of low SES (Chinese sample, OR = 1.93) and females (Vietnamese sample, OR = 1.27) had a larger chance of avoiding foods. CONCLUSIONS: Avoiding foods was significantly associated with reduced dentitions, edentulousness, and higher age; low SES only in the Chinese and being female only in the Vietnamese sample. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Incomplete anterior regions, "impaired" premolar or molar regions, and especially edentulousness can be considered significant risk indicators for food avoidance.
