Activities of daily living and chewing ability in an 80-year-old population

The aim of this study was to determine whether chewing ability or number of intact teeth was related to performance of activities of daily living in 80-year olds.

This was a cross-sectional survey including dental examinations, chewing self-assessment, and everyday function.

A total of 823 people (309 males, 514 females) who were 80 years of age and resident in the Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan participated in this study.

The mean number of intact teeth was 7.5 +/- 8.7; of the 15 food items offered, the mean number of foods chewed was 11.2 +/- 3.8. Function was independent in 713 subjects, and dependent in 93. After adjustment for gender, we found the number of foods chewed being linked to independent function by the multiple regression analysis (beta = 0.223, P < 0.0001); the number of intact teeth was only weakly related (beta = 0.077, P = 0.03). By logistic regression analysis, functional dependency was 7.5 times more prevalent in individuals capable of chewing four foods or fewer, and 3.3 times more prevalent in those chewing five to nine, than in those chewing all 15 items. No significant functional difference was related to the number of intact teeth.

Chewing ability may be independently related with functional status in 80-year olds.