Relationship between autoantibody associated with rheumatoid arthritis and tooth loss

摘要

Introduction This study evaluated the relationship between serum Rheumatoid Factor (RF) levels and tooth loss in a community‐dwelling elderly Japanese women. It was hypothesised that women with high baseline RF levels would experience greater tooth loss over 10?years than age‐matched women with lower baseline serum RF levels. Materials and methods The study population consisted of 197 women aged 70?years with ≥12 teeth at baseline. One hundred and twenty‐four participants completed a 10‐year follow‐up and were divided into 2 groups according to their baseline serum RF levels as follows: RF negative (15?U/mL; n?=?114) and RF positive (15?U/mL; n?=?10). Negative binomial regression was used to investigate the relationship between baseline RFs and tooth lost over the 10‐year period. RF and its interaction with the baseline number of teeth were independent variables, with 9 other adjustment covariates. Results Baseline RFs were significantly associated with tooth loss ( P? = ? .035). In addition, a statistical interaction between baseline RFs and baseline number of teeth was identified ( P? = ? .023), modifying the association between RFs and tooth loss. The adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for RF‐positive participants with 21 baseline teeth was 1.88 (95% confidence interval (95% CI): 0.76, 4.65). IRRs obtained for participants who had 25 baseline teeth (3.02; 95% CI: 1.03, 8.83) or 30 baseline teeth (5.47; 95% CI: 1.29, 23.13) suggested that RF‐positive participants with a high number of baseline teeth would exhibit greater tooth loss than RF‐negative participants. Conclusion High serum RF levels were associated with a greater IRR for future tooth loss in elderly Japanese women.