Associations between self-reported physical activity and oral health: a cross-sectional analysis in 17,777 Spanish adults

Background The aim of this study was to assess the association between levels of physical activity and oral health in adults residing in Spain. Methods Cross-sectional data from the Spanish National Health Survey 2017 were analysed (n = 17,777 adults aged ≥15 years; 52.0% females). The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form was used to measure physical activity. Oral health was self-reported through eight variables. Covariates included were sex, age, marital status, education, obesity, smoking and alcohol consumption. Results Dental caries (19.8% vs 27.8%), dental extraction (72.7% vs 75.4%), gingival bleeding (15.5% vs 19.1%), tooth movement (4.3% vs 5.9%) and missing tooth (57.9% vs 62.5%) were statistically significantly less frequent in the sufficient than insufficient physical activity group, whereas dental filling (74.2% vs 70.9%), dental material (36.6% vs 34.8%) and no missing tooth and no material (28.2% vs 25.1%) were statistically significantly more common. After adjustment, there was a negative relationship between physical activity and dental caries (OR = 0.72; 95%CI = 0.66-0.78), gingival bleeding (OR = 0.79; 95%CI = 0.72-0.86), tooth movement (OR = 0.83; 95%CI = 0.71-0.96) and missing tooth (OR = 0.91; 95%CI = 0.85-0.98). In contrast, physical activity was positively associated with dental material (OR = 1.16; 95%CI = 1.07-1.25). Conclusions Participation in physical activity is favourably associated with some but not all self-reported oral health correlates.