Tooth Loss and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Severity

Objectives: Previous studies have speculated an association between edentulism and worsening Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). However, the degree of tooth loss and OSA severity has never been studied. We hypothesized that a linear relationship exists between progressive tooth loss and worsening of OSA.

Methods: The electronic medical records of 210 male Veterans referred to our dental service diagnosed with varying degrees of OSA were reviewed. Panoramic radiographs were used to quantify teeth using three different methods: total teeth lost, mandibular teeth lost, and posterior dental functional units lost.

Results: Of the 210 subjects, 25.5% had not lost any teeth, 36.6% lost 1-5 teeth, 20.8% lost 6-16 teeth and 17.1% lost more than 16 teeth. 30% of the individuals had mild OSA, 36% moderate, and 34% severe. The bivariate association between the number of dentition present and severity of OSA showed no significance. In multivariate analysis, age (p=0.009) and body mass index (p=0.007) were significant predictors of OSA severity, while total teeth loss was not significant.

Conclusions: The degree of tooth loss is not associated with OSA severity. Tooth loss does not worsen OSA.