Masticatory performance of the elderly as seen from differences in occlusal support of residual teeth

To clarify whether the occlusal state affects the masticatory performance of elderly adults.

Elderly women were asked to chew a gummy jelly, and the amount of glucose extraction was measured as the parameter for masticatory performance. Subjects were divided into five groups depending on occlusal support on the habitual chewing side (G1: no occlusal support of posterior teeth, G2: occlusal support of first premolar, G3: occlusal support of premolars, G4: occlusal support from first premolar to first molar, and G5: occlusal support from first premolar to second molar). It was also investigated whether or not the subjects were wearing dentures. The amount of glucose extraction was compared among the five groups and then between subjects with removable denture and subjects without removable denture. The relationship between age and glucose extraction were also investigated.

The amount of glucose extraction progressively increased with increase in number of occlusal support. There were no fixed tendencies between age and glucose extraction, when occlusal state was taken into account. The amount of glucose extraction of subjects without removable denture was significantly larger than that of subjects with removable denture. It was also found that 67 % of subjects with removable denture were within the normal range when it was set based on G5 data.

It was suggested that the occlusal state affected the masticatory performance of elderly adults.