Decrease in posterior occlusal support area can accelerate tooth loss: The Suita study

Abstract

Purpose: A decrease in posterior occlusal support is considered to increase the load on remaining teeth and thus accelerate tooth loss. Therefore, a follow-up study was carried out to perform a longitudinal analysis of the association between the posterior occlusal support region and tooth loss. Methods: The participants of the study were 806 Suita Study participants who underwent physical health checkups both at baseline and at follow-up. The participants were classified into three groups by posterior occlusal support area (POSA) using the Eichner Index at baseline: Perfect POSA group, Eichner A; Decreased POSA group, Eichner B1-3; and Lost POSA group, Eichner B4 and Eichner C1-2. Participants were also classified into two groups according to whether they had tooth loss during the follow-up period. Tooth loss risk factors were investigated through the construction of logistic regression models with tooth loss as the dependent variable and posterior occlusal support, sex, age, periodontal disease, stimulated salivary flow rate, smoking habit, drinking habit, denture wearing, utilization of dental services, brushing habits, diabetes mellitus, osteoporosis and number of years of follow-up as independent variables. Results: In the results of the logistic regression model, the adjusted odds ratio (95%CI) for tooth loss with the Perfect POSA group as the reference was 3.19 (1.98-5.14) for the Decreased POSA group and 4.57 (1.97-10.62) for the Lost POSA group. Conclusions: This study showed that decreased POSA accelerated tooth loss in the general urban population.

Effect of masseter muscle activity during wakefulness and sleep on tooth wear

“…In a previous observational study targeting healthy older Japanese adults, the mean number of remaining teeth was 21.1 ± 0.6 [29]. Furthermore, another study showed that the number of functional teeth in the decreased posterior occlusal area for older Japanese individuals was 22.2 ± 3.5 [30]. Our results are consistent with these findings, although the number of remaining teeth may be unusual for their age.…”

The Association of Dietary Intake, Oral Health, and Blood Pressure in Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study

“…Studies have reported that tooth loss was directly related to reduced oral function [ 17 ]. Hence, the Japan Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare continuously promotes preserving ≥ 20 natural teeth until the age of 80 [ 58 ] because tooth loss can decrease posterior occlusal contact, consequently influencing the occlusal force [ 59 ]. Reduced occlusal force affects saliva secretion, which is necessary for oral functions such as mastication and swallowing.…”

Effect of night dentures on tooth mobility in denture wearers with sleep bruxism: A pilot randomized controlled trial

“…Thus, the influence of occlusal condition or detailed information of each abutment tooth, including tooth type, tooth location, and periodontal condition, on our results were unclear. The occlusal condition and tooth type have been reported to be associated with chronological changes in periodontal condition or tooth loss [39,40]. Further studies are required to examine the effectiveness of ND based on occlusal condition and/or tooth type of RPD abutments.…”