More kids means less teeth for mothers

Women who give birth to more children tend to lose more teeth during their lives, regardless of their socioeconomic status, US researchers have found.

The team examined data on 2,635 US women, ages 18 to 64, and classified the sample into three categories; low, middle and high socioeconomic status.

In the highest socioeconomic group featured, women with no children were missing on average less than one tooth, those with one child were missing about two teeth and those with four or more were missing about five teeth.

Among the women in the lowest socioeconomic group, those with no children on average were missing two teeth, those with one child were missing an average of three teeth and those with four or more were missing more than eight teeth.

The trend also held true in the middle socioeconomic group, said the researchers at New York University and Yale University in Connecticut.

"It seems that having more children is related to having fewer teeth," said New York University dental professor Dr Stefanie Russell, who led the research project.

"We found that it was true across all socioeconomic levels."

Russell noted that women are more prone to gingivitis during pregnancy. In addition, they may be less likely to see a dentist while pregnant, in an attempt to avoid dental X-rays. Women with multiple children may also forgo their own dental care, possibly due to lack of money or time, Russell said.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Public Health.

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