Relationship between self-reported chewing ability and incidents of stroke in Japanese community-dwelling older adults

Abstract

Purpose: This 4-year prospective observational study aimed to examine the relationship between self-reported chewing ability and incidents of stroke in community-dwelling older adults in Japan. Methods: A total of 5,093 adults aged 65 years and older who were neither disabled nor living in long-term care facilities completed the baseline survey in April 2013. In February 2017, a follow-up survey was conducted for 3,606 older adults who were not disabled and had not died. All data were obtained from self-reported questionnaires. Participants were classified into a normal or an impaired chewing ability group. Using multivariable logistic regression analysis, odds ratios and 95% confidential intervals were calculated for the risk of stroke, adjusting for sex, age, physical activities, BMI, medications, and wearing a denture. Results: The final analysis included 2,099 participants with no history of cardiovascular disease or severe hypertension in 2013, excluding those with missing main data. During the 4-year follow-up period, the incidence of stroke was 2.8% and 3.6% for the normal chewing ability group and 5.9% and 4.7% for the impaired chewing ability group in participants 65–74 years old and 75 years old or older, respectively. The adjusted ORs were 2.29 for chewing ability impairment, 8.57 with mobility impairment, and 4.09 with cognitive impairment; however, there were no significant differences in participants 75 years old or older, except for those with a physical impairment. Conclusion: Our results suggested that impaired chewing ability independently predicted stroke, especially for those with physical or cognitive frailty in a community.