title: Relationship between self-assessed masticatory disability and 9-year mortality in a cohort of community-residing elderly people.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the relationship between self-assessed masticatory disability and mortality.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Community based.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total of 1,405 randomly selected people aged 65 and older living in Settsu, Osaka Prefecture, in October 1992.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data on health status as indicated by disability scores, history of health management, self-assessed masticatory ability, and psychosocial conditions were collected by means of interviews during home visits at the time of enrollment. Nine-year follow-up was completed for 1,245 (88.6%; 398 deceased and 847 alive).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-assessed masticatory disability was significantly associated with being 75 and older, having overall disability, not using dental health checks or general health checks, not participating in social activities, not feeling that life is worth living (no ikigai), and finding relationships with people difficult. As for the association between self-assessed masticatory disability and mortality, the estimated survival rate for those with self-assessed masticatory disability was lower than that for those without for each group stratified by sex and age (65-74 and >or=75), and the equality of survival curves according to self-assessed masticatory disability was significant for each group. After controlling for potential predictors of mortality, self-assessed masticatory disability remained as a significant predictor of mortality (adjusted hazard ratio=1.63, 95% confidence interval=1.30-2.03, P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that self-assessed masticatory disability may be associated with a greater risk of mortality in community-residing elderly people.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social and Environmental Medicine, Course of Social Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita-shi, Japan. noriyuki@pbhel.med.osaka-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Noriyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nakanishi
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takatorige
authors.forename: Kozo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tatara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003625:Data Collection; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D009026:Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D009059:Mouth Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D009909:Oral Health; D012307:Risk Factors