Regular Smoking Accelerates the Decline in Masticatory Performance in Japanese Men: The Suita Study

Smoking is presumed to cause a decline in masticatory performance by worsening the intraoral environment in various ways. However, no longitudinal study has examined the relationship between smoking and masticatory performance.

To clarify how smoking affects future decline in masticatory performance through a 5-year follow-up study of a general urban population.

The study participants were 494 men (mean age at baseline: 65.8 years) who participated in baseline and follow-up dental examinations in the Suita Study. The masticatory performance of the participants was evaluated using a test gummy jelly. The rate of change in masticatory performance during the follow-up period was calculated by subtracting the masticatory performance at baseline from the masticatory performance at follow-up and dividing this by the masticatory performance at baseline. Logistic regression analysis was performed, with the presence or absence of a decline in masticatory performance as the objective variable and age at baseline, number of functional teeth, periodontal status, salivary flow rate, maximum bite force, smoking status, utilisation of dental services, and follow-up years as the explanatory variables.

The rate of change in masticatory performance during the follow-up period was significantly higher in smokers than in non-smokers. Logistic regression analysis showed that age, maximum bite force, and smoking were significant explanatory variables for a decline in masticatory performance.

A 5-year follow-up study showed that smoking causes a decline in masticatory performance in men, even after adjusting for confounding factors.