Oral Health Outcomes as a Surrogate Measure for Bone Mineral Density With Consideration of Diet: A Protocol Using the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

Objectives: The burden of osteoporosis and fractures are rising as our population ages; however poor bone health often goes unnoticed until fracture occurs. Guidance is needed to identify those at high risk. Some studies have shown correlations between oral health and bone mineral density (BMD), but none in a large Canadian cohort. The study objective is to determine if oral health problems are associated with BMD. It is hypothesized that having a greater number of oral health problems will be correlated with a lower BMD as both can occur due to inflammation.