The relationship between chewing and general and oral health

Previous studies have reported a relationship between masticatory function and general and oral health. Questionnaires are commonly used to assess masticatory function; however, no previous studies have examined which specific questions are the most relevant. In this study, we administered a questionnaire to examine the relationship between chewing and general and oral health. We included 2390 subjects (1213 female and 1177 males) with a median age of 65 years who underwent dental and health checkups. The questionnaire consisted of three comprehensive question items to evaluate masticatory function: overall chewing ability, the hardest food to consume, and eating speed. We found that the questionnaire items on overall chewing ability and the hardest food to consume were associated with dental disease. These items demonstrated sufficient specificity to be used for dental health screening. On the other hand, eating speed was associated with oral hygiene only. In addition, the questionnaire items on eating speed and overall chewing ability showed significant associations with body mass index (BMI). These findings suggest that asking patients questions about overall chewing ability and the hardest food to consume can be used to assess oral and dental health. Moreover, we found relationships between overall chewing ability and eating speed and BMI. It is important to understand the characteristics of these questions and use them in health assessments.