A decision tree to identify the combinations of non-communicable diseases that constitute the highest risk for dental caries experience: A hospital records-based study

To investigate whether dental status, represented by the DMFT score, was affected by the presence of NCDs and determined the NCDs that had a greater impact on the DMFT score. This retrospective cross-sectional study included a total of 10,017 individuals. The presence of NCDs was investigated based on self-reported medical history recorded on each patient’s dental hospital record. Individual DMFT score was evaluated on the basis of the dental records and panoramic radiographs. The data were further analyzed using multiple regression analysis and chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) analysis. A total of 5,388 individuals had more than one NCD among hypertension (HT), diabetes mellitus (DM), hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and osteoporosis. The average DMFT score was 8.62 ± 7.10 in the NCD group, significantly higher than that in those without NCD (5.53 ± 5.48) (P < 0.001). In the regression analysis, age, NCDs, and psychiatric problems were selected as risk factors of DMFT score. In the CHAID decision tree analysis, age was the risk factor that most influenced the DMFT score. HT was the most influential factor in a newly generated decision tree excluding age, and osteoporosis, DM, and CVD were important risk factors acting in the subgroups. Patients with NCD had worse dental conditions than those who did not, and some combinations of NCDs related highest risk for a dental caries-related index. In clinical practice, dentists should provide meticulous care for dental caries in elderly patients with NCDs, especially when certain diseases, such as HT, osteoporosis, DM, and CVD, are present together.