FACTORS RELATED TO TOOTH LOSS AMONG INDUSTRIAL WORKERS IN PHATHUM THANI, THAILAND.

Tooth loss is an important oral health problem among Thai people. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of and factors associated with tooth loss among Thai industrial workers in order to apply preventive oral health programs to this population. The study consisted of 1,500 adults working in Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate, Pathum Thani Province, Thailand in 2014. Probability proportion to size cluster sampling was used and 16 clusters were included in the study. An oral health questionnaire was developed, evaluated for content validity by experts and then given to participants to fill out. The study population consisted of 621 males (41.4%) and 879 females (58.6%) aged between 19-25 years. The overall prevalence of tooth loss was 62.2% and the major reason for tooth loss was dental caries (60%). Results from multivariable logistic regression analysis show that factors associated with tooth loss were: having a history of scaling or tooth cleaning [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)= 2.47; 95% CI: 1.21-4.65], having dental caries with exposed pulp (AOR=4.12; 95% CI: 3.26-7.67), having tooth mobility due to periodontal disease (AOR=2.41; 95% CI: 2.71-5.22), having needed tooth restoration (AOR=1.75; 95% CI: 1.23-2.65), having a history of maxillofacial or a temporo-mandibular joint accident (AOR=2.13; 95% CI: 1.87- 3.23), wearing dentures (AOR=2.58; 95% CI: 2.17-6.72), using dental care services during the previous year (AOR=2.21; 95% CI: 1.26-4.57), eating snacks and candy daily (AOR=2.14; 95% CI: 1.82-2.92), having toothache (AOR=2.64; 95% CI: 1.43- 3.92), having dental caries (AOR=2.23; 95% CI: 1.62-3.27) and having a history of orthodontic treatment (AOR=3.61; 95% CI: 1.84-5.68). The Nagelkerke R squared for the model was 0.42. Our findings suggest several clinical, socio-economic and lifestyle factors are associated with tooth loss among these Thai industrial workers. An appropriate preventive oral health program targeting this high-risk group taking these factors into consideration needs to be developed and implemented in this at risk population.