title: Evaluation of chewing activity in the elderly person.
abstract: In the present study, we examined the chewing performance of 70 elderly persons. Self-assessment of chewing problems and clinical classification using the modified Eichner index showed little correlation (Kappa value = 0.28; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.05-0.51). The sensitivity and specificity were 0.52 and 0.76, respectively. On the other hand, the mastication score determined by evaluation of a questionnaire on food intake and classification using the modified Eichner index showed high agreement (Kappa value = 0.73; 95% CI = 0.50-0.96). The sensitivity and specificity were 0.76 and 0.95, respectively. The mastication score showed significant correlation with other masticatory functions such as maximum biting force, occlusal contact area and the number of missing teeth (P < 0.01). These results suggest that the use of a questionnaire on food intake would be informative for epidemiological surveys of chewing activity in the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Planning, Graduate School of International Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirai
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Isogai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirose
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Umenai
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001732:Bite Force; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D004435:Eating; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology*; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014070:Tooth / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000503:physiopathology