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Dental healthcare utilization and mortality : a population-based prospective cohort study in southern Sweden

Lindström, Martin LU ; Naimi-Akbar, Aron LU ; Lindström, Emma LU ; Rosvall, Maria LU and Pirnouzifard, Mirnabi (2026) In Acta Odontologica Scandinavica 85. p.284-292
Abstract

Objective: The aim was to investigate associations between dental healthcare utilization and all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD), cancer, and other-cause mortality. Materials and methods: A postal public health survey was distributed in the autumn of 2008 to a strat-ified random sample of the population aged 18–80 in Scania, southern Sweden (response rate 54.1%). Baseline survey data were linked to mortality data, creating a prospective cohort study with 8.3-year fol-low-up. The present study entails 26,115 respondents. Associations between dental healthcare utilization and mortality were investigated in survival analyses and analyses with a nested case–control design. Results: In all, 68.4% had visited dental healthcare <1 year ago;... (More)

Objective: The aim was to investigate associations between dental healthcare utilization and all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD), cancer, and other-cause mortality. Materials and methods: A postal public health survey was distributed in the autumn of 2008 to a strat-ified random sample of the population aged 18–80 in Scania, southern Sweden (response rate 54.1%). Baseline survey data were linked to mortality data, creating a prospective cohort study with 8.3-year fol-low-up. The present study entails 26,115 respondents. Associations between dental healthcare utilization and mortality were investigated in survival analyses and analyses with a nested case–control design. Results: In all, 68.4% had visited dental healthcare <1 year ago; 19.0%, 1–2 years ago; 6.7%, 3–5 years ago; 5.5%, >5 years ago; and 0.4%, never. The groups that had visited dental healthcare 1–2 years ago, 3–5 years ago, and >5 years ago displayed increased hazard ratios of all-cause mortality throughout the multiple-adjusted survival analyses compared to the <1-year reference group. Conditional logistic regression analyses with a nested case–control design confirmed results with a clearer gradient in all-cause mortality. CVD, cancer, and other-cause mortality showed some significant associations with dental healthcare utilization. Conclusions: Dental healthcare utilization was associated with all-cause mortality, with a clear gradient in the nested case–control design.

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author
; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
dental healthcare utilization, mortality, oral health, Sweden
in
Acta Odontologica Scandinavica
volume
85
pages
284 - 292
publisher
Taylor & Francis
external identifiers
  • pmid:42210819
  • scopus:105040625553
ISSN
0001-6357
DOI
10.2340/aos.v85.46190
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s).
id
aecbb81b-66f6-408f-8170-58c964c0fd24
date added to LUP
2026-06-09 16:17:20
date last changed
2026-09-17 06:17:20
@article{aecbb81b-66f6-408f-8170-58c964c0fd24,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objective: The aim was to investigate associations between dental healthcare utilization and all-cause, cardiovascular (CVD), cancer, and other-cause mortality. Materials and methods: A postal public health survey was distributed in the autumn of 2008 to a strat-ified random sample of the population aged 18–80 in Scania, southern Sweden (response rate 54.1%). Baseline survey data were linked to mortality data, creating a prospective cohort study with 8.3-year fol-low-up. The present study entails 26,115 respondents. Associations between dental healthcare utilization and mortality were investigated in survival analyses and analyses with a nested case–control design. Results: In all, 68.4% had visited dental healthcare &lt;1 year ago; 19.0%, 1–2 years ago; 6.7%, 3–5 years ago; 5.5%, &gt;5 years ago; and 0.4%, never. The groups that had visited dental healthcare 1–2 years ago, 3–5 years ago, and &gt;5 years ago displayed increased hazard ratios of all-cause mortality throughout the multiple-adjusted survival analyses compared to the &lt;1-year reference group. Conditional logistic regression analyses with a nested case–control design confirmed results with a clearer gradient in all-cause mortality. CVD, cancer, and other-cause mortality showed some significant associations with dental healthcare utilization. Conclusions: Dental healthcare utilization was associated with all-cause mortality, with a clear gradient in the nested case–control design.</p>}},
  author       = {{Lindström, Martin and Naimi-Akbar, Aron and Lindström, Emma and Rosvall, Maria and Pirnouzifard, Mirnabi}},
  issn         = {{0001-6357}},
  keywords     = {{dental healthcare utilization; mortality; oral health; Sweden}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  pages        = {{284--292}},
  publisher    = {{Taylor & Francis}},
  series       = {{Acta Odontologica Scandinavica}},
  title        = {{Dental healthcare utilization and mortality : a population-based prospective cohort study in southern Sweden}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.2340/aos.v85.46190}},
  doi          = {{10.2340/aos.v85.46190}},
  volume       = {{85}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}