Dental Caries and Periodontitis Associated with Betel Quid Chewing: Analysis of Two Data Sets
Supaporn Chatrchaiwiwatana DDS, MPH, DrPH*
Affiliation : * Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen
Background : Not much research evidence concerning the relationship between betel quid chewing and oral
health has been established although betel quid chewing is a common practice among people in many Asian
countries including rural areas of Thailand.
Objective : The present study employed two existing data sets to evaluate the association between betel quid
chewing and oral diseases.
Materials and Methods : The study populations for phase I comprised a total of 796 females, aged 30-89 years,
residing in five districts of Khon Kaen province, Thailand during 1990-91. In phase II, there were 2,253
females, aged 31-86 years, residing in Chonnabot district, Khon Kaen province, Thailand during 1992-94,
respectively. The data were obtained through oral examination and interview. The analyses employed
descriptive, bivariate, and multivariable logistic regression.
Results : Findings from final multivariable logistic regression models revealed the inverse relationship
between betel quid chewing and dental caries adjusting for other variables. In addition, results from the
final multivariable logistic regression models predicting periodontitis showed that betel quid chewing was
directly associated with periodontitis in the presence of several confounding factors. The consistent findings
from both data sets suggest that although betel quid chewing may reduce dental caries, it was directly related
to periodontitis and enhanced the possibility of increasing tooth loss.
Conclusion : Therefore, preventive programs aiming at discouraging Thai people from chewing betel quid
should be established to preserve favorable oral health.
Keywords : Betel quid chewing, Dental caries, Periodontitis, Tooth loss, Thailand
