Evaluation of the associations between immunoglobulin E levels and the number of natural teeth.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the association between the number of natural teeth and the total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE), allergen-specific IgE against Dermatophagoides farina, allergen-specific IgE against cockroaches, or allergen-specific IgE against dogs with nationally representative data using the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES).

METHODS

This study involved a cross-sectional analysis using KNHANES data from 2010. A total of 1916 participants were eligible for this study. Multiple regression analyses were used to evaluate the risk of tooth loss in relation to IgE levels. The model was adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, smoking habits, drinking habits, exercise habits, vitamin D levels, metabolic syndrome, allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis, and tooth-brushing frequency.

RESULTS

The number of natural teeth of the first quartile to the fourth quartile of total serum IgE were 25.9 ± 0.2, 25.9 ± 0.2, 25.1 ± 0.2, and 25.4 ± 0.2, respectively, showing an inverse association (P < 0.05). The number of natural teeth of the first quartile to the fourth quartile of allergen-specific IgE against Dermatophagoides farina and allergen-specific IgE against dogs farina both showed an inverse association with statistical significance (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study clearly showed the inverse association between total serum IgE and number of natural teeth after adjustments, especially regarding participants without systemic diseases, including diabetes mellitus, hypertension, metabolic diseases, and obesity.