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Association Between Dental Status and Incident Disability in an Older Japanese Population
Author(s) -
Aida Jun,
Kondo Katsunori,
Hirai Hiroshi,
Nakade Miyo,
Yamamoto Tatsuo,
Hanibuchi Tomoya,
Osaka Ken,
Sheiham Aubrey,
Tsakos Georgios,
Watt Richard G.
Publication year - 2012
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.1532-5415.2011.03791.x
Subject(s) - medicine , hazard ratio , gerontology , proportional hazards model , cohort study , body mass index , confidence interval , population , national health interview survey , cohort , prospective cohort study , activities of daily living , demography , physical therapy , environmental health , surgery , pathology , sociology
Objectives To determine the association between dental health status and onset of functional disability in older J apanese people. Design Prospective cohort study. Setting Six J apanese municipalities. Participants Four thousand four hundred twenty‐five community‐dwelling individuals aged 65 and over. Measurements The outcome measure was the onset of functional disability based on public records of people receiving long‐term care insurance benefits, determined through a standardized multistep assessment of functional and cognitive impairment including a personal interview and an examination by a physician. Disability data were analyzed for 4,425 respondents during 2003 to 2007. Self‐reported number of remaining teeth and eating ability were used as measures of dental health status. Age, sex, body mass index, self‐rated health, present illness, smoking, alcohol, exercise, and equivalent income were used as covariates. Results In the age‐ and sex‐adjusted Cox proportional hazard models, there were significant associations between number of remaining teeth, eating ability, and onset of disability. After adjusting for sociodemographic, behavioral, and health status variables, respondents with 19 or fewer teeth had a significant 1.21 (95% confidence interval = 1.06–1.40) times higher hazard ratio for the onset of functional disability. In contrast, eating ability was not significantly associated with the onset of disability. Conclusion Poor dental status was associated with a higher risk of onset of functional disability in older J apanese people. Sociodemographic, behavioral, and health status covariates explained the association between eating ability and onset of disability.