- 著者
-
Hajime Kato
Yoshimi Takahashi
Chifumi Iseki
Ryosuke Igari
Hidenori Sato
Hiroyasu Sato
Shingo Koyama
Muneshige Tobita
Toru Kawanami
Mitsuyoshi Iino
Kenichi Ishizawa
Takeo Kato
- 出版者
- The Japanese Society of Internal Medicine
- 雑誌
- Internal Medicine (ISSN:09182918)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.58, no.10, pp.1411-1416, 2019-05-15 (Released:2019-05-15)
- 参考文献数
- 37
- 被引用文献数
-
32
Objective Dementia is a major cause of disruption for a healthy life expectancy in Japan. It has been suggested that the number of teeth is a modifiable risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia. We therefore examined the possible association between the cognitive function and the number of natural and artificial teeth in community-dwelling Japanese elderly individuals. Methods Among the participants in our prospective, community-based study, 210 elderly individuals (103 men and 107 women; 78.1±4.9 years; mean age±standard deviation) underwent both dental examinations and a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), as well as various medical checkups, in 2016 and 2017. Results The number of natural teeth was significantly associated with an individual's MMSE score. The percentage of cognitively normal subjects (MMSE scores: 27-30) decreased significantly with a decrease in the number of natural teeth. Among the MMSE items, the calculation ability was significantly and independently associated with the number of natural teeth. Regression was calculated as the predicted score of MMSE =21+0.3× (years of schooling) +0.1× (number of natural teeth). Among individuals with 19 or fewer natural teeth, those who had a total of 20 teeth or more, including both natural and artificial teeth, had significantly higher MMSE scores than those who had 19 or fewer natural and artificial teeth combined. Conclusion The number of natural teeth was significantly associated with the cognitive function, especially the calculation ability, and the use of artificial teeth was associated with the preservation of the cognitive function in community-dwelling elderly individuals.