Is the Association between Green Tea Consumption and the Number of Remaining Teeth Affected by Social Networks?: A Cross-Sectional Study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study Project

Manami Hoshi, Jun Aida, Taro Kusama, Takafumi Yamamoto, Sakura Kiuchi, Tatsuo Yamamoto, Toshiyuki Ojima, Katsunori Kondo and Ken Osaka
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Manami Hoshi: Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
Jun Aida: Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
Taro Kusama: Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
Takafumi Yamamoto: Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
Sakura Kiuchi: Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575, Japan
Tatsuo Yamamoto: Department of Disaster Medicine and Dental Sociology, Graduate School of Dentistry, Kanagawa Dental University, Yokosuka 238-8580, Japan
Toshiyuki Ojima: Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu 431-3192, Japan
Katsunori Kondo: Center of Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba 260-0856, Japan
Ken Osaka: Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Sendai 980-8575, Japan

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-10

Abstract: Consumption of green tea without sugar, as well as social networks, are associated with a lower risk of tooth loss. There is a possibility of confounding both factors because tea is often drunk with friends. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine whether green tea consumption is beneficially associated with the number of remaining teeth, while considering social networks. This cross-sectional study was based on the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES) in 2016. Self-administered questionnaires containing questions about green tea consumption were mailed to 34,567 community-dwelling residents aged ≥ 65 years. We used the number of remaining teeth as a dependent variable, and green tea consumption and the number of friends met over the past month (social network size) as independent variables. Linear regression models with multiple imputation were used. A total of 24,147 people responded (response rate = 69.9%), and 22,278 valid data were included into our analysis. Participants’ mean age was 74.2 years (standard deviation = 6.3), and 45.9% were men. Among the participants, 52.2% had ≥ 20 teeth, 34.2% drank 2–3 cups of green tea per day, and 32.6% met ≥ 10 people over the past month. After adjusting for all potential confounders, both higher green tea consumption and a larger social network size were associated with more remaining teeth (both p for trend < 0.001). The association of green tea was greater among those with smaller social networks ( p for interaction < 0.05). The protective association of green tea was remarkable among people with smaller social networks.

Keywords: green tea; tooth loss; oral health; social network; friends (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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