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Number of Teeth and Fatigue in Older Adults
Author(s) -
Avlund Kirsten,
SchultzLarsen Kirsten,
Christiansen Niels,
HolmPedersen Poul
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2011.03502.x
Subject(s) - medicine , tooth loss , socioeconomic status , logistic regression , demography , comorbidity , longitudinal study , population , cross sectional study , national health and nutrition examination survey , oral health , bivariate analysis , gerontology , dentistry , psychiatry , environmental health , mathematics , pathology , sociology , statistics
OBJECTIVES: To examine whether tooth loss at age 70 is associated with fatigue in a nondisabled community‐dwelling population cross‐sectionally at age 70 and with onset of fatigue longitudinally at 5‐, 10‐, and 15‐year follow‐ups. SETTING: Community‐based population in Copenhagen. PARTICIPANTS: Five hundred seventy‐three nondisabled 70‐year‐old individuals in 1984. MEASUREMENTS: Data from interviews and a medical and oral examination. Oral health was measured according to number of teeth (0, 1–9, 10–19, ≥20). Fatigue was measured using the Avlund Mobility‐Tiredness Scale on six mobility activities. Covariates, all measured at baseline, were sex, education, income, comorbidity, and smoking. RESULTS: Bivariate logistic regression analyses showed significant cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between number of teeth at age 70 and onset of fatigue at 5‐ and 10‐ but not 15‐year follow‐up. The associations between having no teeth and fatigue were attenuated when adjusted for socioeconomic position and smoking. CONCLUSION: Tooth loss is associated with onset of fatigue in old age, but the estimates are attenuated when adjusting for socioeconomic position and smoking. Tooth loss may be an early indicator of frailty.