Table 1. Characteristics of the participants in the GERD and control groups.
| Variables | Categories | GERD group (N %) N = 905 | Control group (N %) N = 1894 | Total (N %) N = 2799 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gender | ||||
| Female | 560 (61.88) | 1158 (61.14) | 1718 (61.38) | |
| Male | 345 (38.12) | 736 (38.86) | 1081 (38.62) | |
| Age at interview | ||||
| 35–45 | 482 (53.26) | 992 (52.37) | 1474 (52.66) | |
| 46–55 | 323(35.69) | 662 (34.95) | 985 (35.19) | |
| 56–65 | 90 (9.94) | 214 (11.30) | 304 (10.86) | |
| ≥66 | 10 (1.11) | 26 (1.38) | 36 (1.29) | |
| Wealth score index | ||||
| Very poor | 146 (16.13) | 230 (12.14) | 376 (13.42) | |
| Poor | 117 (12.93) | 178 (9.40) | 295 (10.54) | |
| Moderate | 201 (22.21) | 343 (18.11) | 544 (19.44) | |
| Good | 224 (24.15) | 491 (25.92) | 715 (25.54) | |
| Very good | 217 (23.98) | 652 (34.42) | 869 (31.05) | |
| Years of education | ||||
| 0–8 | 569 (62.87) | 852 (44.98) | 1421 (50.77) | |
| ≥9 | 336 (37.12) | 1042 (55.02) | 1378 (49.23) | |
| Tobacco use | ||||
| Yes | 106 (11.71) | 234 (12.35) | 340 (12.15) | |
| No | 799 (88.29) | 1660 (87.65) | 2459 (87.85) | |
| Alcohol drinking | ||||
| Yes | 17 (1.88) | 40 (2.11) | 57 (2.04) | |
| No | 888 (98.12) | 1854 (99.89) | 2742 (97.96) | |
| Toothbrushing | ||||
| <1/day | 455 (50.28) | 668 (35.27) | 1123 (40.12) | |
| ≥1/day | 450 (49.72) | 1226 (64.73) | 1676 (59.88) | |
| Sweet foods (gr/day) | ||||
| (Free sugars: gr/day) | >23.91 | 268 (29.61) | 654 (34.55) | 922 (32.95) |
| 10.35–23.90 | 320 (35.36) | 601 (31.75) | 921 (32.92) | |
| ≤10.34 | 317 (35.03) | 638 (33.70) | 955 (34.13) | |
| Sweet beverages | ||||
| (Free sugars: gr/day) | ≥62.09 | 243 (26.85) | 644 (34.02) | 887 (31.70) |
| 18.94–62.08 | 280 (30.94) | 606 (32.01) | 886 (31.67) | |
| ≤18.93 | 382 (42.21) | 643 (33.97) | 1025 (36.63) | |
| Natural fruit juice | ||||
| (Free sugars: gr/day) | ≥7.563 | 260 (28.73) | 638 (33.70) | 898 (32.09) |
| .001–7.562 | 235 (25.97) | 442 (23.35) | 677 (24.20) | |
| ≤0.000 | 410 (45.30) | 813 (42.95) | 1223 (43.71) | |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m 2 ) | ||||
| <18.5 | 2 (0.22) | 11 (0.58) | 13 (0.46) | |
| 18.5–24.9 | 167 (18.45) | 425 (22.44) | 592 (21.15) | |
| ≥ 25 | 736 (81.33) | 1458 (76.98) | 2194 (78.39) | |
| Frequency of regurgitation | ||||
| Once or more/week | 60 (6.63) | 45 (2.38) | 105 (3.75) | |
| 2–3 times/month | 154 (17.02) | 249 (13.14) | 403 (14.40) | |
| No | 691 (76.35) | 1600 (84.48) | 2291 (81.85) | |
| DMFT (Mean ± SD) | 15.09 ± 6.18 | 15.00 ± 6.07 | 15.03 ± 6.10 |