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Description
Background: Oral health is integral to overall well-being, yet limited in its contribution to prevalent health issues.
Objective: This study explores the complex interconnections among oral health, food security, dietary patterns, cardiometabolic risk factors, and mental health in Ghanaian adults.
Methodology: Using a cross-sectional study, socio-demographics, anthropometric, oral health status [Decayed-Missing-Filled Teeth (DMFT), Community Periodontal Index (CPI), Loos of Attachment (LOA)], dietary patterns, cardiometabolic measurements and mental health data were collected from 100 adult participants from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology Hospital’s dental clinic in Kumasi, Ghana. SPSS version 27.0 was used for descriptive and correlation analyses.
Key findings: The sample was predominantly young (79% aged 18-29), highly educated (83% with tertiary education), urban (77%), and largely unemployed (70%). Food insecurity(65.3%) and psychological distress (56.1%) was prevalent. Oral Health Indices LOA (B=-0.195, p=0.050), CPI (B=-0.229, p=0.018), and DMFT (B=-0.245, p=0.012) showed a consistent and statistically significant negative correlation with food security and an inverse relationship with mental health (cOR=0.11, p < 0.001). Sugar-enriched dietary pattern showed a positive significant correlation with worst oral outcomes: DMFT (B=0.047, p=0.020), CPI (B=0.048, p=0.018), and LOA (B=0.059, p=0.005) scores. The vegetable diet pattern was significantly associated with higher Body Mass Index (BMI) (cOR = 6.79, p = 0.001) and larger muscle mass (cOR = 5.21, p = 0.006) and also showed a significant negative correlation with DMFT (B=-0.193, p=0.050). For cardiometabolic risk factors, there was a significant association between BMI and poorer periodontal health (CPI) was found (B=0.020, p=0.018). There was a significant correlation between DMFT and mental health (B=-0.202, p=0.018).
Implications: The complex interrelationships observed highlight the need for comprehensive public health strategies in Ghana that integrate efforts to improve food security, promote healthy dietary habits, and enhance access to professional dental care to holistically address oral health, mental health, and cardiometabolic risk factors.
Keywords: Oral Health, Mental Health, Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Food Insecurity, Dietary Patterns