According to a study by Professor Ken Kosaka of the Graduate School of Dentistry, Tohoku University, many elderly people become confined when the number of teeth decreases.Elderly people who had difficulty chewing were also often withdrawn, but there was no association between the experience of mastication and xerostomia and withdrawal.
According to Tohoku University, the research group of Professor Kosaka and others analyzed about 13 elderly people aged 65 and over who were not in need of nursing care from the panel data of the Japanese gerontological evaluation study in which 2 municipalities in Japan participated, and for 6,600 years. The relationship between oral condition and withdrawal was investigated through a follow-up study.
As a result, after 20 years, those who have less than 6 teeth are 20 times more likely to be in a closed state than those who have 1.42 or more teeth, and those who have difficulty chewing are 1.28 times more than those who do not. Became clear.The associated effect of tooth count and withdrawal was similar to that of ages 70-75.
People who were withdrawn at the time of the survey could be predicted to have difficulty chewing after 6 years, but could not find any association with the number of teeth, experience of mastication, or xerostomia.
Withdrawal less than once a week can have adverse health effects such as social isolation and decreased physical activity, leading to increased risk of long-term care, increased mortality, and decreased cognitive function.The research group believes that community development that maintains the number of teeth and encourages social participation will help maintain the health of the elderly.
Paper information:[Oral Diseases] Oral status and homebound status: A 6-year bidirectional exploratory prospective cohort study
