Chewing ability and quality of life in an 80‐year‐old population

Abstract

As quality of life (QOL) could be influenced by oral status in the elderly, we examined whether chewing ability or number of teeth affected QOL in 80-year olds. A cross-sectional survey included dental examination, chewing self-assessment, and a QOL questionnaire. A total of 823 people who were 80 years old participated in this study. QOL was assessed in terms of satisfaction with physical condition, meals, daily living and social interactions, and with face-scale scores. After adjustment for gender, spouse and activities of daily living, dissatisfaction with social interactions was 3.9 times more prevalent in individuals able to chew four foods or fewer than in those chewing 15. Dissatisfaction with physical condition, meals and daily living, and poor face-scale scores, were 2.7, 2.4, 3.4, and 2.4 times more prevalent, respectively, in subjects chewing four foods or fewer. The number of teeth showed little effect. In conclusion, self-assessed chewing ability but not number of teeth was associated with QOL in 80-year-old subjects.

Relationship between the Subjective-Objective Oral Health Status and Oral Health Related Quality of Life in the Elderly

“…Health insurance policyholders had higher OHRQoL than recipients of medical aid, which is similar to studies by Park et al 12) and Lee and Park 20) Regarding subjective oral health status of the subjects, OHRQoL was higher in subjects who perceived their oral and periodontal status as healthier, had no toothache, had no interference in mastication, and were able to soften food. These results matched a report by Takata et al 22) , which stated that masticatory ability was a factor affecting OHRQoL, and a report by Jung and Shin 23) stating the level of oral pain was the most important factor. It was speculated that since subjects who had neither interference in mastication nor toothache feel less discomfort during food intake, hence perceive subjective oral status and periodontal status as healthy; therefore, their OHRQoL is higher.…”

“…On the contrary, it was inconsistent with the results from a study by Takata et al 22) , which stated that there was no effect of remaining teeth on OHRQoL. should be closely related with systemic health condition 16) .…”

Prevalence of clinical and radiographic signs of osteoarthrosis of the temporomandibular joint in an older persons community

“…3 Since arthritis and rheumatic conditions represent the leading causes of disability in the USA, 4 and whereas the prevalence of osteoarthrosis has been assessed for different joints (wrist, hand, knee) in representative samples, it would be of interest to assess the prevalence of osteoarthrosis (OA) of the temporomandibular condyle since the TMJ is one of the most frequently used joints and a limitation of chewing ability influences the quality of life. 5 When assessing the prevalence of OA, the first challenge is the widely recognized disparity between objective diagnosis, based on imaging evidence, and patient-reported symptoms of pain or disability. 6 However, objective diagnoses (such as imaging modalities) provide more reproducible results and facilitate more accurate comparative studies.…”

Influence of disinfectant solutions on test materials used for the determination of masticatory performance

“…3 A decline in MP may result in changes in the diet, as some foods become difficult to eat. [4][5][6][7] The test material used to determine MP should provide an ideal bolus for the scientific study of mastication. 3,[8][9][10][11][12] A natural food has the advantage that it is normally consumed.…”