Association between weight-adjusted-waist index and periodontitis risk: A cross-sectional study

Background There may be an association between obesity and periodontitis, yet no studies have investigated the correlation between the new obesity indicator, the weight-adjusted-waist Index (WWI), and periodontitis. Objective This study aims to investigate the association between the novel obesity index, weight-adjusted-waist index, and periodontitis. Subjects and methods WWI was utilized to assess obesity, through measuring waist circumference (WC) and body weight. We analyzed cross-sectional NHANES data from 2009 to 2014 (1) using multivariate logistic regression to explore WWI’s association with moderate/severe periodontitis; (2) conducting subgroup analyses and interaction tests; and (3) fitting smoothed curves to the age-stratified logistic regression model. Results The study involved 11,256 individuals, with 48.55% having moderate/severe periodontitis. Upon adjusting for all relevant variables, a significant correlation between WWI and moderate/severe periodontitis was observed (OR = 1.08, 95% CI: 1.01–1.17). Compared to the lowest quartile of WWI, there was a significant increase in the likelihood of moderate/severe periodontitis in Quartile 2 (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.06–1.39) and Quartile 3 (OR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.07–1.42). Subgroup analyses for gender, age, education, smoking, and diabetes highlighted a positive association between WWI and moderate/severe periodontitis in all subgroups, except for the diabetic population and individuals aged 65 years and older. Conclusion The analysis revealed a positive correlation between WWI, a novel obesity index, and moderate/severe periodontitis prevalence through diverse modeling approaches.