Relationships between oral conditions and physical performance in a rural elderly population in Japan.
OBJECTIVE
To show relationships between oral conditions and physical performance in the elderly living independently.


METHODS
A total of 821 persons participated. Data on background factors and self-assessed masticatory ability were collected by means of questionnaires. An intraoral examination was performed to examine the pattern of occluding pairs of natural teeth. Handgrip strength and one-leg standing time with eyes open were measured. Step-wise linear regression models were conducted with muscle strength or one-leg standing time as the dependent variables; the pattern of occluding pairs and self-assessed masticatory ability as the principal independent variables.


RESULTS
The self-assessed masticatory ability was retained in the final model of the step-wise regression for the handgrip strength, and significant relationships were established in the participants aged 65-74, but the pattern of occluding pairs was not retained. The pattern of occluding pairs, and the self-assessed masticatory ability were retained in the final models for the one-leg standing time, and significant relationships were shown here.


CONCLUSIONS
The self-assessed masticatory ability may be significantly related to muscle strength and static balance function, and the pattern of occluding pairs may be significantly related to the static balance function, particularly in the elderly aged 65-74.
Moriya
Shingo
S
Section of Oral Health Technology, National Institute of Public Health, Wako-shi, Saitama, Japan. shyomi@den.hokudai.ac.jp
Muramatsu
Tsukasa
T
Tei
Kanchu
K
Nakamura
Kimiya
K
Muramatsu
Masumi
M
Notani
Kenji
K
Inoue
Nobuo
N
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001732:Bite Force; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007564:Japan; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008409:Mastication; D053580:Muscle Strength; D009909:Oral Health; D010809:Physical Fitness; D004856:Postural Balance; D012424:Rural Population; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires