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. 2022 Dec 16;19(24):16959.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph192416959.

Relationship between Oral Function and Support/Care-Need Certification in Japanese Older People Aged ≥ 75 Years: A Three-Year Cohort Study

Komei Iwai  1 , Tetsuji Azuma  1 , Takatoshi Yonenaga  1 , Taketsugu Nomura  2 , Iwane Sugiura  2 , Yujo Inagawa  2 , Yusuke Matsumoto  2 , Seiji Nakashima  2 , Yoshikazu Abe  2 , Takaaki Tomofuji  1
Affiliations

Relationship between Oral Function and Support/Care-Need Certification in Japanese Older People Aged ≥ 75 Years: A Three-Year Cohort Study

Komei Iwai et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

The aim was to examine the relationships between oral functions and support/care-need certification in older people aged ≥ 75 years using the National Health Insurance (NHI) database system and data from Kani City, Gifu, Japan. In total, 732 older Japanese people aged ≥ 75 years who did not have support/care-need certification and underwent dental check-ups in Kani City in 2017 were followed up until 2020. Chewing state, tongue and lip function, and swallowing function were assessed by a self-administered questionnaire, an oral diadochokinesis test, and a repetitive saliva-swallowing test, respectively. The presence or absence of systemic diseases and of support/care-need certification was based on data collected by the NHI database. At follow up, 121 (17%) participants had support/care-need certification. The participants with support/care-need certification included more women (p < 0.001) and older people (p < 0.001); and had more hypertension (p = 0.003), musculoskeletal disorders (p < 0.001), pneumonia (p = 0.044), poor chewing state (p < 0.001), and poor swallowing function (p = 0.003) than those without support/care-need certification. Furthermore, the presence of support/care-need certification at follow up was associated with sex (woman: odds ratio [OR], 2.120; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.354 to 3.317), age (OR, 1.203; CI, 1.139 to 1.270), chewing state (poor: OR, 2.534; CI, 1.409 to 4.557), and swallowing function (poor: OR, 2.372; CI, 1.248 to 4.510) at baseline. However, tongue and lip function were not associated with support/care-need certification. The results indicate that older Japanese people aged ≥ 75 years with a poor chewing state and poor swallowing function at baseline had a higher risk for support/care-need certification after three years.

Keywords: chewing state; longitudinal study; older people; support/care-need certification; swallowing function.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of data selection criteria.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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