Patterns of multimorbidity and their association with edentulism: the moderating role of health literacy in…

Cohort studyEuropean journal of public health· Jun 2026

Patterns of multimorbidity and their association with edentulism: the moderating role of health literacy in the Lifelines Cohort.

Trishnika Chakraborty-Groot, Josue Almansa, Andrea F de Winter … Sijmen A Reijneveld

Multimorbidity & PolypharmacyCohort studyPrognosisQ1IF 3.0

Cardiovascular plus endocrinological multimorbidity carries highest odds of edentulism

Patterns of multimorbidity and their association with edentulism: the moderating role of health literacy in the Lifelines Cohort.

Trishnika Chakraborty-Groot … Sijmen A Reijneveld

European journal of public health · Jun 2026

Background

Multimorbidity may affect oral health, especially in individuals with limited health literacy (health literacy), or specific multimorbidity patterns; however, evidence remains scarce.

Purpose

This study aimed to assess the association of multimorbidity and multimorbidity patterns with complete tooth loss, i.e. edentulism, and whether health literacy moderates this association.

Methods

A total of 42 357 participants from the prospective multigenerational Dutch Lifelines Cohort Study were included.

n = 357 participants

Results

cardiovascular plus endocrine conditions together raise edentulism odds most

OR 2.26 (95% CI 2.06 to 2.47)

CI excludes the null - significant

More results

Understanding these associations could improve early detection and prevention, both in clinical care and public health strategies.

More results

We identified five patterns: (1) Endocrinological + Psychiatry; (2) Cardiovascular + Endocrinological; (3) Neurological + Otorhinolaryngologic; (4) Endocrinological + Otorhinolaryngologic, and (5) Otorhinolaryngologic + Psychiatric.

The odds of edentulism were 2.26 higher (95% CI: 2.06-2.47) in multimorbid.

“

Conclusion

Our findings support collaborative medical and oral healthcare.

Patterns of multimorbidity and their association with edentulism: the moderating role of health literacy in the Lifelines Cohort.

Patterns of multimorbidity and their association with edentulism: the moderating role of health literacy in the Lifelines Cohort.

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