Abstract
Upon reviewing the literature, the prevalence of many systemic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis were reported to be high in Saudi Arabia. The relationship of these conditions with tooth loss among Saudi population was not investigated. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between tooth loss and most common medical conditions among Saudi dental patient. The study participants were 250 patients who were randomly selected from the College of Dentistry database of King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Participants were requested to answer self-administered questionnaires related to their demographic as well as general health questions concerned to the presence of systemic medical conditions. Missing teeth were determined after examining the orthopantogram radiographs and reviewing the Romexis and SALUD databases. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test and linear multiple regression model were performed using SPSS software. The mean number of missing teeth among the study population was 5.8 teeth per person. The mean number of missing teeth was higher among subjects with diabetes, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, or osteoporosis compared to healthy individuals. A multiple linear regression analysis model revealed that diabetes, hypertension and rheumatoid were significant predictors of missing teeth among Saudi population. These results highlight the importance of the effect of medical conditions on oral health.