Is tooth loss associated with irritable bowel syndrome?

Although the relationship between number of teeth and gastric disturbances has been recognised, limited data are available linking tooth loss and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study aimed to investigate the relation between dental status and IBS among Iranian adults. In a cross-sectional study on 4669 Iranian adults, dental status was evaluated using a self-administered questionnaire. Participants were categorised into five main groups: those with full dentition (without denture), those with denture, individual who had lost 1-2 teeth, 3-5 teeth and half of one jaw or more. IBS and its subtypes were defined using Rome III criteria. After adjusting for different confounding variables, those who had lost 1-2 and 3-5 teeth had 1·35 and 1·33 times greater odds for IBS than fully dentate subjects, respectively. After controlling for different confounders, individuals who had denture had 103% greater odds to have constipation-predominant IBS than those with full dentition (95% confidence interval: 1·29-3·21). Neither in crude nor in adjusted models were any significant association between dental status and other subtypes of IBS. In addition, we did not find any association between losing half of one jaw or more and IBS. We found that losing 1-2 or 3-5 teeth might significantly be associated with increased risk of IBS. Having denture might be related to constipation-predominant IBS. There should be further prospective studies to confirm these findings.