The Relationship between Number of Natural Teeth and Chewing Qat Habit among Adult Yemeni People in Sana’a: A Pilot Study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: Several studies have reported associations between the habit of chewing qat and the deterioration of periodontal health among adults in Yemen; however, qat's effect on the number of teeth has not yet been evaluated. The purpose of this observational study was to examine the relationship between the number of natural teeth and qat-chewing status among Yemeni participants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The participants were interviewed with a structured questionnaire by a researcher on the day of the dental check-up. The surveyed items were age, sex, chewing-qat status (nonchewer; current chewer, nonsmoker; current chewer and smoker; current chewer, ex-smoker; ex-chewer, never smoked; ex-chewer and smoker). The dental examination was conducted with dental mirrors by a single examiner under sufficient artificial light. A linear regression was performed, stratified by sex, with the number of natural teeth as the dependent variable and with age and qat status as independent variables using SAS/STAT software. RESULTS: Results show that age was a significant factor for both males and females having few natural teeth. Females had a higher tooth loss than males. The habit of chewing qat did not affect the number of natural teeth for both males and females. In males, a small, but not significant, relationship between chewing-qat status and the number of natural teeth was found. All smokers were qat chewers. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights for the first time the relationship between having fewer teeth and the habit of chewing qat and provides useful findings for dental health workers to advise people about the benefits of cessation of both qat chewing and smoking.