Association Between Tongue Pressure and Prevalence of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Japan

Although it has been suggested that a decline in oral function is one of the potential risk factors affecting mild cognitive impairment (MCI), evidence is insufficient to draw clear conclusions. This Japanese cross-sectional study examined the association between tongue pressure (TP) and MCI in middle-aged and older adults aged 36-84 years.

Study participants were 1019 (368 men and 651 women). TP was evaluated using a TP measurement device. The maximum value of three measurements was used for analysis. MCI was defined as being present if a participant had a Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score of <26. Adjustment was made for age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activity, body mass index, hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, history of depression, number of teeth, employment, education, and household income.

The prevalence of MCI was 45.3%. Among women, compared with the lowest tertile of TP, the second and highest tertiles were significantly associated with a lower prevalence of MCI with a clear dose-response relationship; the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence intervals) in the second and highest tertiles of TP were 0.54 (0.36-0.83) and 0.55 (0.36-0.84), respectively (p for trend = 0.005). In contrast, no statistically significant association was observed between TP and the prevalence of MCI among men.

Our findings suggest that higher TP might be inversely associated with the prevalence of MCI in middle-aged and older Japanese women.