Table 1.
Characteristics of the study participants across study sites (N=437)
| UAB (n=194) | UNC (n=243) | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Variable | Mean (SD) | Mean (SD) | |
| Age, years | 47.1 (13.6) | 49.1 (13.3) | |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 30.4 (7.7) | 28.4 (6.5) | |
| Number of remaining teeth | 25.8 (4.0) | 25.3 (3.7) | |
| Number of root surfaces with caries (extent) | 0.6 (1.5) | 3.4 (5.0) | |
| Number of exposed root surfaces | 8.9 (11.4) | 14.9 (12.8) | |
| Coronal caries index | 16.3 (10.5) | 32.7 (15.8) | |
| Variable | % | % | |
| Root caries (prevalence)a | Yes | 26 | 63 |
| Coronal caries (prevalence) | Yes | 99 | 100 |
| Gender | Female | 68 | 55 |
| Race | White/Caucasian | 38 | 77 |
| African-American | 58 | 17 | |
| Other race | 4 | 7 | |
| Ethnic origin | Hispanic | 4 | 3 |
| Daily average mints/candy/gum consumption | 0 | 38 | 28 |
| 1 | 12 | 26 | |
| 2 | 13 | 20 | |
| ≥3 | 37 | 25 | |
| High blood pressure | Yes | 35 | 30 |
| Cancer chemo/radiotherapy | Yes | 6 | 7 |
| Diabetes | Yes | 12 | 15 |
| Depression | Yes | 18 | 17 |
| Medicationsb | Yes | 8 | 14 |
| Time since last dental visit | <1 year | 58 | 93 |
| Time of most recent professional fluoride treatment | ≤1 year | 29 | 74 |
| >1 year | 40 | 23 | |
| Never | 31 | 4 | |
| Daily use of OTC fluoride toothpaste | Yes | 92 | 90 |
| Daily use of OTC fluoride mouthwash | Yes | 42 | 35 |
| Daily frequency of toothbrushing | ≤Once/day | 28 | 25 |
| Daily frequency of flossing | <Once/day | 52 | 43 |
| Self-described oral health | Poor/very poor | 21 | 14 |
| Fair | 38 | 37 | |
| Good | 33 | 35 | |
| Very good/excellent | 8 | 14 | |
| Dry mouth symptoms | Yes | 72 | 74 |
The item daily average mints/candy/gum consumption was not collected for all participants (n=327)
OTC over-the-counter
a
The sample sizes for groups at risk for root caries (i.e., participants with exposed root surfaces) are 126 for UAB and 223 for UNC
b
Use of antibiotics, tranquilizers, or antihistamines