Beverage consumption and the prevalence of tooth loss in pregnant Japanese women: the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study.

Recently, there has been growing interest in the impact of beverage consumption on dental health because changes have occurred in the types and quantities of beverage consumed. This cross-sectional study investigated the relationship between consumption frequencies of various beverages and the prevalence of tooth loss among young adult women. Study subjects were 1002 pregnant Japanese women. Tooth loss was defined as previous extraction of one or more teeth. Dietary habits were evaluated by a validated dietary history questionnaire. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate the odds ratios and their 95% confidence intervals of tooth loss. Adjustment was made for age, gestation, parity, cigarette smoking, passive smoking at home and at work, family income, education, changes in diet in the previous one month, season when data were collected and body mass index. Of the 1002 subjects, 256 women had lost one or more teeth. Coffee consumption was independently associated with an increased prevalence of tooth loss. When subjects were divided according to consumption of coffee with or without sugar, an increased prevalence of tooth loss was found only in subjects who consumed coffee without addition of sugar. Compared with the lowest consumption of green tea, the intermediate but not the highest consumption of green tea was associated with an increased prevalence of tooth loss. There was no measurable association of intake of milk, black tea, cola, or 100% fruit juice with the prevalence of tooth loss. The findings suggest that coffee consumption might be associated with an increased prevalence of tooth loss among young adult women.