The impact of socio-medical factors and oral status on dietary intake in the eighth decade of life.
The impact of different background factors on dietary intake was studied in a representative sample of 94 men and 89 women (mean age 74.6 years). More women than men in the sample felt lonely, lived alone and felt ill. The women also had more frequent and more severe mandibular dysfunction problems. Many individuals showed an unsatisfactory dietary intake according to the Recommended Dietary Allowance in Sweden (RDA-S). A multivariate analysis showed that sex, age, education, general living conditions, anamnestical and clinical dysfunction indices and dental status influenced dietary intake. Subjective chewing problems were strongly connected with dental status and constituted one of the most important single variables explaining the differences in dietary intake. This study shows the importance of asking elderly patients about their living conditions and chewing problems, as well as evaluating dental status and function from a "masticatory performance perspective" and offering adequate dietary advice.
Nordström
G
G
Department of Prosthetic Dentistry, University of Umeå, Sweden.
D000368:Aged; D003817:Dentition; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010146:Pain; D012917:Social Adjustment; D013705:Temporomandibular Joint Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*