Self-perception of oral health and food consumption indicators among Brazilian adults and older adults in 2013 and 2019: National Health Survey.

The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between self-perceived oral health and food consumption indicators in adult and older adult Brazilians, with data from the 2013 (n=57,962) and 2019 (n=86,510) National Health Survey (NHS). Self-perceived oral health (exposure) was categorized as very good/good, fair and poor/very poor. Regular weekly consumption of healthy (beans, raw and cooked vegetables, fruits, milk and chicken) and unhealthy (red meat, soft drinks and sugar-sweetened beverages, sweets and replacing main meals with snacks) food items were the outcomes. Prevalence ratios (PR) were estimated using adjusted Poisson regression models. In both editions, individuals rating their oral health as poor/very poor had a lower prevalence of regular vegetables (PR 0.83, 95%CI 0.78-0.88), fruit (PR 0.82, 95%CI 0.76-0.88) and milk consumption (PR 0.87, 95%CI 0.82-0.93). Poor/very poor oral health self-perception was linked to higher regular consumption of unhealthy indicators in 2019 (soft drinks: PR 1.13, 95%CI 1.02-1.24; sweets: PR 1.15, 95%CI 1.03-1.29; meal replacements: PR 1.18, 95%CI 1.06-1.32). Our findings indicate that a poorer self-perception of oral health is associated with unhealthier indicators of food consumption.