Background Evidence on the association between dental caries and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk in older adults is limited.Objective This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the associations of coronal and root caries with self-reported COPD prevalence in this population.Design Data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2015–2020. Coronal caries was measured by the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index. Root caries was recorded as presence or absence. Weighted multivariable logistic regression models were applied to assess the associations of coronal caries and root caries with COPD.Results A total of 3,972 eligible participants were included, with a weighted self-reported COPD prevalence of 13.68%. Per 1-unit increase in DMFT was associated with higher odds of COPD (OR = 1.04, 95%CI: 1.02–1.06, p < 0.001). Participants with root caries had elevated odds (OR = 1.47, 95%CI: 1.02–2.11, p = 0.048).Conclusions Coronal and root caries are independently associated with higher odds of self-reported COPD in U.S. older adults. However, given the cross-sectional design, causal inference cannot be established, and further prospective research is needed.
Huang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.