# Self-perceived general health and its impact on oral health in the U.S. adult population: NHANES 2015–2018

## TL;DR

This study finds that poor oral health is linked to worse self-perceived general health in U.S. adults, suggesting the need for better integration of oral health into overall health care.

## Contribution

The study establishes a novel statistical link between dental metrics like DMFT and self-reported general health status in a large U.S. population sample.

## Key findings

- Each unit increase in DMFT increases odds of reporting fair to poor health by 2%.
- Each decayed tooth increases odds of poor health by 38%, and each missing tooth by 43%.
- Higher DMFT scores, untreated decay, and missing teeth are associated with poorer self-perceived general health.

## Abstract

Oral health is crucial to overall well-being and is often described as a “window to general health” due to the strong bidirectional relationship between the two. This paper aims to assess the relationship between self-perceived general health and oral health among U.S. adults.

This study analyzed data from the 2015–2018 NHANES, comprising 11,566 U.S. adults. Statistical analyses included weighted percentages, chi-square tests, and logistic regression to evaluate the relationships between self-perceived general health status and oral health predictors.

Each unit increase in DMFT (decayed, missing due to caries, and filled teeth) resulted in a 2% increase in the odds of reporting fair to poor health compared with excellent to good health (p < 0.01). Additionally, for each additional decayed permanent tooth and each missing tooth, the odds of reporting fair to poor health compared with excellent to good health increased by approximately 38% (p = 0.004) and 43% (p = 0.010), respectively.

This study suggests that higher DMFT scores, untreated dental decay, and missing teeth are associated with poorer self-perceived general health among U.S. adults. We recommend incorporating oral health assessments into general health check-ups, raising public awareness about their connection, and improving collaboration between medical and dental professionals to enhance patient care and preventive measures.