Earlier depression and later‐life self‐reported chewing difficulties: results from the Whitehall II study

Abstract

This study aimed to assess, whether depression in adulthood was associated with self-reported chewing difficulties at older age, and examine whether the strength of the association differed according to the number of depression episodes in earlier adult life. We used Whitehall II study data from 277 participants who completed a questionnaire in 2011. Depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in 2003 and 2008. The association between CES-D depression and self-reported chewing ability was assessed using regression models adjusted for some socio-demographic factors. Participants with depression at some point in their earlier adulthood had an odds ratio (95% CI) of 2·01 (1·06, 3·82) for reporting chewing difficulties in older adulthood, compared to those without depression. The respective odds ratios were 1·42 (0·66, 3·04) for individuals with depression in only one phase, but 3·53 (1·51, 8·24) for those with depression in two phases. In conclusion, while further research is required, there was an association between depression and chewing difficulty that was independent of demographic and socio-economic characteristics. Furthermore, this increased odds for chewing difficulties was primarily among adults that experienced two episodes or a prolonged period of depression.

Factors affecting masticatory function of community‐dwelling older people: Investigation of the differences in the relevant factors for subjective and objective assessment

“…These factors were related to only SMF, so that this result was considered to relate to the disagreement of results that the subjective assessment was “poor” although the objective assessment was “good”. In previous studies, SMF has been reported to be susceptible to the psychological state, while mental stress and psychiatric drugs have been reported to cause mouth dryness . In other words, cooperation with other clinical department, such as a change in drug and or psychological approach, may be needed to reduce SMF that are affected by psychogenic factors.…”

Association Between Chewing Difficulty and Symptoms of Depression in Adults: Results from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

“…There have been three reports on the association between chewing difficulty and symptoms of depression . The Whitehall II study was a prospective closed‐cohort study with a small sample size (N = 227), and the results cannot be generalized .…”

“…Moreover, few studies have investigated the association between chewing difficulty and depression. There is some evidence of this association, although it is from one study with a small sample size and another study in participants aged 65 and older …”

“…Moreover, few studies have investigated the association between chewing difficulty and depression. There is some evidence of this association, although it is from one study with a small sample size 11 and another study in participants aged 65 and older. 12 It was hypothesized that chewing difficulty would be found to be associated with symptoms of depression in the general population, and the aim of the present study was to investigate the association between chewing difficulty and symptoms of depression after taking into consideration possible confounders in a nationally representative sample of the Korean population.…”

Subjective food intake ability related to oral health‐related quality of life and psychological health

“…Aljameel et al . . reported that individuals who experienced depression in their earlier adulthood were at greater risk of having chewing difficulties at an older age.…”