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Relationship between functional masticatory units and cognitive impairment in elderly persons.
Mónica G Cardoso1, Márcio Diniz-Freitas2, Paula Vázquez2
1Department of Dental Sciences, Institute of Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies, CESPU, Paredes, Portugal.
Journal of Oral Rehabilitation
|January 8, 2019
Summary
Adequate chewing function, measured by functional masticatory units (FMUs), is linked to a reduced risk of cognitive impairment in older adults. More FMUs correlated with better cognitive health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Cognitive Science
- Oral Health and Neuroscience
Background:
- Chewing difficulty is a known risk factor for cognitive impairment in the elderly.
- Understanding the link between oral function and cognitive decline is crucial for aging populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the number of functional masticatory units (FMUs) and cognitive impairment levels in older adults.
- To determine if the quantity of teeth contact during occlusion predicts cognitive status.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study of 502 institutionalized White individuals over 65 years old.
- Functional masticatory units (FMUs) were assessed via direct visual inspection.
- Cognitive impairment was evaluated using the Mini-Cognitive Examination (MCE), with a generalized linear model (GLM) applied for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- A higher number of FMUs was significantly associated with a lower probability of cognitive impairment (explained deviance: 30.1%).
- The GLM demonstrated good discriminatory capacity (0.820) and acceptable predictive capacity (sensitivity: 0.786) for cognitive impairment based on FMUs.
Conclusions:
- The absolute number of functional masticatory units (FMUs) is significantly related to Mini-Cognitive Examination (MCE) scores in institutionalized elderly White individuals.
- This finding highlights the potential role of oral health in maintaining cognitive function in advanced age.
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