Functional dentition in a clinical sample of Mexican adults
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29166/odontologia.vol27.2.2025-e8268Keywords:
oral health, functional dentition, tooth loss, oral health inequalities, adults, MexicoAbstract
Introduction: Oral diseases, such as dental caries, periodontal diseases and their consequences, represent a global public health problem due to their high prevalence. Functional dentition, defined as having at least 21 natural teeth present in the mouth, is a key indicator of oral health and overall well-being. Objective: To evaluate the prevalence of functional dentition (FD) and analyze its association with sociodemographic, clinical and behavioral variables in Mexican adults treated at clinics of a public university. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 277 consecutive patients. Clinical examinations were performed by dental students under faculty supervision. FD was defined as ≥21 natural teeth and served as the dependent variable. Through clinical examination and questionnaires, data were collected on age, education level, systemic diseases (diabetes, hypertension) and smoking habits. Statistical analysis included Mann-Whitney and Chi-square tests using Stata 14. Results: The mean age was 47.6±15.5 years, and 65.7% were women. The prevalence of FD was 87%. Patients without FD were significantly older (61.2±11.5 vs. 45.6±15.0 years; p<0.0001) and had lower education levels (6.8±4.4 vs. 9.3±4.4 years; p=0.0027). No significant differences were found by sex, systemic diseases or smoking habits (p>0.05). Conclusions: FD was significantly associated with younger age and higher education levels, but not with comorbidities or smoking habits. These findings highlight the need for interventions targeting older adults and populations with low formal education to preserve functional oral health.
Downloads
References
Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research(US); 2021. Section 1, Effect of Oral Health on the Community, Overall Well-Being, and the Economy. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK578297/
Peres MA, Macpherson LMD, Weyant RJ, Daly B, Venturelli R, Mathur MR, Listl S, Celeste RK, Guarnizo-Herreño CC, Kearns C, Benzian H, Allison P, Watt RG. Oral diseases: a global public health challenge. Lancet. 2019;394(10194):249-260. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31146-8.
World Health Organization. Oral health. 2025. Disponible en: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/oral-health
GBD 2021 Oral Disorders Collaborators. Trends in the global, regional, and national burden of oral conditions from 1990 to 2021: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. Lancet. 2025, 405(10482), 897-910. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(24)02811-3.
Kaurani P, Kakodkar P, Bhowmick A, Samra RK, Bansal V. Association of tooth loss and nutritional status in adults: an overview of systematic reviews. BMC Oral Health. 2024;24(1):838. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-04602-1.
Palomer T, Ramírez V, Ortuño D. Relationship between oral health and depression: data from the National Health Survey 2016-2017. BMC Oral Health. 2024;24(1):188. doi: 10.1186/s12903-024-03950-2.
Janto M, Iurcov R, Daina CM, Neculoiu DC, Venter AC, Badau D, et al. Oral Health among Elderly, Impact on Life Quality, Access of Elderly Patients to Oral Health Services and Methods to Improve Oral Health: A Narrative Review. J Pers Med. 2022;12(3):372. doi: 10.3390/jpm12030372.
Godínez-López MJ, Mendoza-Rodríguez M, Márquez-Corona ML, Jiménez-Gayosso SI, Escoffié-Ramírez M, Patiño-Marín N, et al. Prevalence of Dental Pain in Schoolchildren Aged 6 to 12 Years and Clinical, Sociodemographic, and Socioeconomic Risk Indicators: A Multicenter Study of Four Mexican Cities. Pediatr Rep. 2024;16(4):1042-1053. doi: 10.3390/pediatric16040089.
Acuña-González GR, Casanova-Sarmiento JA, Islas-Granillo H, Márquez-Rodríguez S, Benítez-Valladares D, Mendoza-Rodríguez M, et al. Socioeconomic Inequalities and Toothbrushing Frequency among Schoolchildren Aged 6 to 12 Years in a Multi-Site Study of Mexican Cities: A Cross-Sectional Study. Children (Basel). 2022;9(7):1069. doi: 10.3390/children9071069.
Villalobos-Rodelo JJ, Lucas-Rincón SE, Jimenez-Gayosso SI, Hernández-Martínez CT, Márquez-Corona ML, Pontigo-Loyola AP, et al. Characterizing Socioeconomic Inequalities in Professionally Applied Topical Fluoride Treatment Courses in Schoolchildren from a Developing Country. J Immigr Minor Health. 2022;24(2):351-359. doi: 10.1007/s10903-021-01171-1.
Jiménez-Gayosso SI, Medina-Solís CE, Lara-Carrillo E, Scougal-Vilchis RJ, de la Rosa-Santillana R, Márquez-Rodríguez S, et al. Socioeconomic inequalities in oral health service utilization any time in their lives for Mexican schoolchildren from 6 to 12 years old. Gac Med Mex. 2015;151(1):27-33.
Wu Y, Liu H, Qin Y, Chen H, Ma J, Yin M, Shi L, Fu Y. Association between multimorbidity and having less than 20 natural teeth among Chinese older adults: a cross-sectional study. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):7865. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-92426-6.
Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research(US); 2021. Section 3B, Oral Health Across the Lifespan: Older Adults. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK578296/
Gil-Montoya JA, de Mello AL, Barrios R, Gonzalez-Moles MA, Bravo M. Oral health in the elderly patient and its impact on general well-being: a nonsystematic review. Clin Interv Aging. 2015;10:461-7. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S54630.
Zhou W, Liu Y, Yin T, He M, Fang C, Peng S, Liu Y. Association of Interdental Cleaning Frequency With Tooth Loss and Self-Rated Oral Health: A Cross-Sectional Study. Int Dent J. 2025;75(4):100803. doi: 10.1016/j.identj.2025.03.012.
Dąbrowski W, Jagiełło K, Mossakowska M, Suligowska K, Zdrojewski TR, Chudek J, Górska R. Evaluating changes in dental status among Polish older adults over a decade: A comparative analysis of PolSenior (2009) and PolSenior2 (2019) surveys. Dent Med Probl. 2025;62(1):23-30. doi: 10.17219/dmp/196535
Queiroz AC, Herkrath FJ, Araújo AR, Smith CV, Herkrath APCQ. Tobacco smoking and tooth loss in adults and elderly in Brazil: a populational-based cross-sectional study. Community Dent Health. 2024;41(3):183-188. doi: 10.1922/CDH_00083Queiroz06.
de Souza VGL, Herkrath FJ, Garnelo L, Gomes AC, Lemos UM, Parente RCP, Herkrath APCQ. Contextual and individual factors associated with self-reported tooth loss among adults and elderly residents in rural riverside areas: A cross-sectional household-based survey. PLoS One. 2022;17(11):e0277845. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277845.
Chalub LL, Borges CM, Ferreira RC, Haddad JP, Ferreira e Ferreira E, Vargas AM. Association between social determinants of health and functional dentition in 35-year-old to 44-year-old Brazilian adults: a population-based analytical study. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2014;42(6):503-16. doi: 10.1111/cdoe.12112.
Andrade FB, Antunes JLF. Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of functional dentition among older people in Brazil. Cad Saude Publica. 2018;34(10):e00202017. doi: 10.1590/0102-311X00202017.
Minaya-Sánchez M, Medina-Solís CE, Casanova-Rosado JF, Vallejos-Sánchez AA, Casanova-Rosado AJ, Márquez-Corona ML, Mendoza-Rodríguez M, Maupomé G. Prevalence of Functional Dentition in a Group of Mexican Adult Males. P R Health Sci J. 2017 Sep;36(3):146-151.
Delgado-Perez VJ, Patiño-Marín N, Rueda-Ibarra V, Ortíz-Benitez DL, Islas-Zarazúa R, Casanova-Sarmiento JA, et al. Dentición funcional y el papel de la diabetes, la hipertensión y el tabaquismo en su prevalencia entre adultos de Tlaxcoapan, Hidalgo, México. Working Paper. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo. 2025.
García-Jau RA, Villalobos-Rodelo JJ, Salazar-Naranjo AN, Gastelum-García VG, Zarate-Depraect NE, Benítez-Pascual J, Moreno-Terrazas E. Higiene bucal y dentición funcional en pacientes con comorbilidad que acuden a consulta a clínica de diagnóstico de Ciudad Universitaria. Rev Med UAS 2023;13:3-10.
Patiño SMM, Meza CA, Gutiérrez ZÁ. Edentulismo y dentición funcional en adultos mayores de Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. Rev Tame. 2019;7.8(21):810-815.
Islas-Granillo H, Medina-Solís CE, Navarrete-Hernández JJ, Minaya-Sánchez M, Vallejos-Sánchez AA, Fernández-Barrera MA, et al. Prevalencia de dentición funcional en ancianos mexicanos. Revista Clínica de Periodoncia, Implantología y Rehabilitación Oral 2015;8(2):150-156.
Alhejaili H, Delgado-Angulo EK. Ethnic Inequalities in the Functional Dentition Among British Adults: A Multilevel Analysis. Community Dent Health. 2024;41(4):278-283. doi: 10.1922/CDH_00153Alhejaili06.
Koltermann AP, Giordani JM, Pattussi MP. The association between individual and contextual factors and functional dentition status among adults in Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil: a multilevel study. Cad Saude Publica. 2011;27(1):173-82. doi: 10.1590/s0102-311x2011000100018.
Bernal-Sánchez KK, Lara-Carrillo E, Velázquez-Enriquez U, Casanova-Rosado JF, Casanova-Rosado AJ, Morales-Valenzuela AA, Márquez-Rodríguez S, Medina-Solís CE, Maupomé G. Clinical and socio-demographic factors associated with dental extractions in a clinical sample. Braz Dent J. 2023;34(6):121-129. doi: 10.1590/0103-6440202305355.
Bernal-Sánchez KK, Lara-Carrillo E, Velázquez-Enriquez U, Casanova-Rosado JF, Casanova-Rosado AJ, Morales-Valenzuela AA, et al., Number of tooth loss and its association with schooling in a clinical sample of Mexican adults: socioeconomic inequality. Working paper. Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. 2025.
Hobdell M, Petersen PE, Clarkson J, Johnson N. Global goals for oral health 2020. Int Dent J. 2003;53(5):285-8. doi: 10.1111/j.1875-595x.2003.tb00761.x.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Karla Karen Bernal-Sánchez, Edith Lara-Carrillo, Ulises Velázquez-Enriquez, Adriana Alejandra Morales-Valenzuela, Elias Nahum Salmerón-Valdés, Miriam Alejandra Veras-Hernández, Martha Mendoza-Rodríguez, José de Jesús Navarrete-Hernández, Rosalina Islas-Zarazua, Carlo Eduardo Medina Solis
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
