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Evaluation of chewing activity in the elderly person
Author(s) -
Hiroyuki Miura,
Yoshimori Araki,
Toshihiro Hirai,
Emiko Isogai,
Koichi Hirose,
Takusei Umenai
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
journal of oral rehabilitation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.991
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-2842
pISSN - 0305-182X
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2842.1998.00237.x
Subject(s) - mastication , masticatory force , medicine , confidence interval , kappa , dentistry , biting , bite force quotient , correlation , epidemiology , orthodontics , mathematics , biology , ecology , geometry
In the present study, we examined the chewing performance of 70 elderly persons. Self‐assessment of chewing problems and clinical classification using the modified Eichner index showed little correlation (Kappa value = 0.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.05–0.51). The sensitivity and specificity were 0.52 and 0.76, respectively. On the other hand, the mastication score determined by evaluation of a questionnaire on food intake and classification using the modified Eichner index showed high agreement (Kappa value = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.50–0.96). The sensitivity and specificity were 0.76 and 0.95, respectively. The mastication score showed significant correlation with other masticatory functions such as maximum biting force, occlusal contact area and the number of missing teeth ( P < 0.01). These results suggest that the use of a questionnaire on food intake would be informative for epidemiological surveys of chewing activity in the elderly.