Diet Practices, Body Mass Index, and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Adults with Periodontitis- A Case-Control Study

Objectives : To assess and compare diet practices, body mass index (BMI), and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in adults with and without periodontitis. Methods : Demographics, health-related behaviors, BMI, dental and periodontal parameters, diet practices, and Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) were collected from 62 periodontitis patients and 100 controls without periodontitis. Results : Having periodontitis was positively associated with male sex ( p = 0.004), older age ( p < 0.001), smoking pack-years ( p = 0.006), weight ( p = 0.008), BMI ( p = 0.003), number of meals per day ( p < 0.001) and had a negative association with decayed teeth ( p = 0.013), alcohol ( p = 0.006), and sweets ( p = 0.007) consumption. Periodontitis patients were more likely to avoid carbonated beverages ( p = 0.028), hot ( p = 0.003), and cold drinks ( p = 0.013), cold ( p = 0.028), hard textured ( p = 0.002), and fibrous foods ( p = 0.02) than the controls, and exhibited higher global OHIP-14 ( p < 0.001) and most domain scores. Age ( p < 0.001), BMI ( p =0.045), number of meals per day ( p = 0.024), and global OHIP-14 score ( p < 0.001) remained positively associated with periodontitis in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Periodontitis patients exhibited higher BMI and altered diet practices and OHRQoL as compared to controls. Assessment of diet practices, BMI, and OHRQoL should be part of periodontal work-up. Dentists and dietitians should collaborate to design strategies to address these challenges.