Oral health behaviors and bone mineral density in South Korea: the 2008–2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between oral health behaviors and bone mineral density (BMD) by using data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted in 2008–2010. We included 6,620 subjects (3,140 men aged more than 50 years and 3,480 postmenopausal women). BMD was measured at three sites—namely, the lumbar spine, total femur, and femur neck. Oral health behaviors were assessed by use of a self-administered questionnaire in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. After adjustment for all covariates, BMD of the lumbar spine and femur neck tended to increase as the frequency of tooth brushing increased in men (p_trend = 0.020 and p_trend = 0.028, respectively). Women using secondary oral products had increased lumbar spine BMD compared with women who did not use secondary oral products. However, after adjustment for all covariates, no significant relationship was observed between BMD and the use of secondary oral products. As the frequency of tooth brushing and the number of secondary oral products used increased, the prevalence of osteoporosis decreased. The frequency of tooth brushing is associated with increased lumbar spine and femur neck BMD in South Korean men.