[Lifestyles related to preserving 20 or more teeth at 80 years of age]

To explore lifestyle factors related to preserving 20 or more teeth at 80 years of age, a total of 114 Japanese persons aged 80 years old (70 with 20 teeth or more (mean teeth: 25.0 +/- 2.8) and 44 with 19 teeth or less (mean teeth: 5.2 +/- 6.3)) were studied. Study subjects received a dental examination and were directly interviewed, using a questionnaire, to collect such information as past episodes of tooth and gingival conditions, past attitude to dental care and several lifestyle habits. The following major findings emerged by statistical analysis. Probability of preserving 20 or more teeth at 80 years of age was significantly high with: (1) strict upbringing in childhood (p < 0.05 in males), (2) no swollen gums around 60 years old (p < 0.01 in males), (3) early visit to a dentist around 40 years old (p < 0.05 in males), and (4) not being fond of sweets in childhood (p < 0.05 in females). The following related to a high tendency toward preserving 20 or more teeth at 80 years of age: (1) graduate from primary school only (in females), (2) having a home dentist around 20 years old (in males), (3) tended to visit a dentist earlier at 20 years old (in males), (4) not eating sweet things at 60 years old (in males), and (5) have not smoked cigarettes (in males).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)