Masticatory Capacity and Mortality: The Preventive and Clinical Investigation Center (IPC) Cohort Study

Area of Science:

• Oral health research
• Cardiovascular epidemiology
• Public health

Background:

• Poor oral health is a known risk factor for mortality, but specific component associations require clarification.
• Masticatory efficiency, a key oral health component, has an imprecise link to cardiovascular mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between oral masticatory efficiency and cardiovascular mortality.
• To analyze the impact of various oral health parameters on mortality in a large French cohort.

Main Methods:

• Observational study of 85,830 French subjects (aged 16-94) with 8.06 years of follow-up.
• Assessment of oral health parameters including masticatory units, plaque, calculus, gingival inflammation, and missing teeth.
• Cox regression analyses to determine hazard ratios for all-cause, cardiovascular, cancer, and other mortality.

Main Results:

• Fewer than five masticatory units were associated with increased all-cause (HR 1.72), cardiovascular (HR 1.41), cancer (HR 1.76), and other mortality (HR 1.85).
• Other oral health variables also showed significant associations with all-cause, cancer, and other mortality.
• Low masticatory units demonstrated a specific association with increased cardiovascular mortality risk.

Conclusions:

• All assessed oral health parameters are linked to increased mortality risks.
• Low masticatory efficiency is a significant predictor of cardiovascular mortality.
• Maintaining adequate masticatory function is crucial for cardiovascular health and overall longevity.