The number of teeth is associated with diet quality in Korean adult population.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between the number of teeth and diet quality for Korean adult population. METHODS: Eligible participants in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey during 2013-2015 were included (N = 11,461). Participants were grouped into three groups depending on the total number of teeth: 28 teeth, 20-27 teeth, and 0-19 teeth. Diet quality was defined using the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) by 24 -h recall methods. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were applied controlling for age, income, education, smoking, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypertension. RESULTS: In fully adjusted models, each tooth showed an increased KHEI score by 0.133 score and 0.150 score in males and females, respectively (p < 0.001 for all). The KHEI scores of participants with 0-19 and 20-27 teeth were 2.357 and 0.810 lower in males than those with 28 teeth (p = 0.001). The KHEI scores for females with 0-19 and 20-27 teeth were 3.008 and 1.223 lower than those with all teeth (p < 0.001). Considering KHEI 14 components, there was a clear association between the components and the number of teeth in females and males. CONCLUSIONS: The results found a positively significant association between the number of teeth and diet quality in a nationally representative sample of the Korean adult population.