Abstract:Background: This study examined whether number of teeth contributes to the compression of morbidity, measured as a shortening of the life expectancy with disability, an extension of healthy life expectancy, and overall life expectancy. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted. A self-reported baseline survey was conducted to 126,438 community-dwelling older people aged ≥65 years in Japan in 2010, and 85,161 (67.4%) responded. The onset of functional disability and all-cause mortality were followed-up for 1,374 days (follow-up rate = 96.1%). A sex-stratified illness-death model was applied to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for three health transitions (healthy to dead, healthy to disabled, and disabled to dead). Absolute differences in life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and life expectancy with disability according to the number of teeth were also estimated. Age, denture use, socioeconomic status, health status, and health behavior were adjusted. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted. A self-reported baseline survey 5 was conducted to 126,438 community-dwelling older people aged ≥65 years in Japan in 6 2010, and 85,161 (67.4%) responded. The onset of functional disability and all-cause 7 mortality were followed-up for 1,374 days (follow-up rate = 96.1%). A sex-stratified 8 illness-death model was applied to estimate the adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for three 9 health transitions (healthy to dead, healthy to disabled, and disabled to dead). Absolute 10 differences in life expectancy, healthy life expectancy, and life expectancy with 11 disability according to the number of teeth were also estimated. Age, denture use, 12 socioeconomic status, health status, and health behavior were adjusted. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59
Conclusions:The presence of remaining teeth was associated with significant 6 compression of morbidity: older Japanese adults' life expectancy with disability was 7 compressed by 35-55 days within the follow-up for 1,374 days.