Smoking status and edentulism among older Chinese: a cohort study.

Background: The harmful impact of tobacco smoke on health is widely recognized, linking it to various diseases. However, the link between tobacco smoke and edentulism in China's population hasn't been fully investigated. This study aims to fill this gap by exploring smoking habits and the possible connection between tobacco smoke and edentulism in a nationally representative Chinese cohort.

Methods: This study used data from the 2011 China Longitudinal Study of Health and Retirement (CHARLS) and included 17,705 participants aged 45 years and older, and linked with follow-up data (2018). Smoking status (non-smoker, ex-smoker, smoker, pack-years of smoking, age at starting and ceasing smoking) was used as an independent variable, and edentulism was used as a dependent variable. Multivariable logistic regression analysis and curve fitting were used to evaluate the association between smoke status and edentulism. Subgroup analyses were then employed to examine the impact of subgroup factors on the link between smoking status and edentulism.

Results: A total of 13,720 people were included in the study, 2,029 of whom were edentulism patients. The association between smoking duration (OR = 1.038, 95%CI = 1.031, 1.045) /Age at quitting smoking (OR = 1.026, 95%CI = 1.013, 1.039)/Smoking pack years (OR = 1.005, 95%CI = 1.002, 1.007) and risk of edentulism was significant, while Age start smoking (OR = 1.003, 95%CI = 0.995, 1.012) and Cigarettes consumed per day (OR = 0.998, 95%CI = 0.991, 1.006) was not associated with risk of edentulism. Compared with non-smokers, current smoker had a higher risk of edentulism (OR 1.274, 95% CI = 1.108, 1.465). Additionally, our results also revealed that there was a nonlinear trend between Smoking duration/Cigarettes consumed per day/Age at quitting smoking/ Age at starting smoking/pack-years of smoking and edentulism (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: The research found a significant link between smoking habits and edentulism in nationally representative Chinese population.

Clinical Relevance: This study in China found a complex link between tobacco use and tooth loss among middle-aged and elderly individuals, highlighting the need for personalized smoking cessation strategies to improve dental health in this population.