Edentulism and select chronic diseases among adults aged ≥45 years in China, 2011-2018: A longitudinal study.

Objectives: Information on the association between edentulism and chronic medical conditions in developing countries is lacking. We investigated such information among adults aged ≥45 years in China.

Methods: A national longitudinal data set from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) 2011-2018 was analysed. A multilevel logistic regression model was applied to analyse the association between edentulism and select chronic diseases.

Results: There were 74 240 Chinese adults aged ≥45 years in this study. The prevalence of self-reported edentulism was 8.8% in 2011 and had increased to 16.4% by 2018.

Conclusion: Edentulism was a factor associated with a higher risk of various self-reported chronic diseases among adults aged ≥45 years in China. Edentulism is one of the comorbidities among ageing people with chronic conditions. Preventive public health policy should consider controlling shared risk factors at an earlier age.