title: Assessing Older Adults' Masticatory Efficiency.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine internal consistency and criterion validity of a questionnaire assessing perception of masticatory efficiency in community-dwelling older adults.
  
  
  METHODS
  Secondary cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from the Québec Longitudinal Study on Nutrition and Successful Aging (NuAge).
  
  
  METHODS
  NuAge is a 5-year (2003-08) observational study of 1,793 men and women aged 67 to 84 in good general health at recruitment.
  
  
  METHODS
  A sample of 1,789 was used to determine internal consistency of the questionnaire. A subsample (n = 94) of the cohort who underwent a clinical test directly measuring masticatory efficiency was used to determine criterion validity of the questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  The questionnaire was a subset of the Oral Health Impact Profile containing 7 Likert-scale questions (score 0-28 points). Masticatory efficiency was assessed using a validated clinical test measuring ability to chew a raw carrot (Swallowing Threshold Test Index, score 0-100%). For perceived and measured data, a higher score indicated better masticatory efficiency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Internal consistency of the questionnaire was deemed good (Cronbach alpha = 0.803). Mean scores were generally high (men, 25.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 24.7-25.9; women, 24.3, 95% CI = 23.7-25.0), indicating good perceived masticatory efficiency for men and women. Mean performance test scores were low (men, 60.8%, 95% CI = 57.3-64.2; women, 61.2%, 95% CI = 57.7-64.7). No significant relationship between perceived and measured masticatory efficiency was observed (Pearson correlation coefficient = -0.14, P = .22).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Despite good internal consistency of the questionnaire and the recognized validity of the test, people's perception of their masticatory efficiency does not reflect objective efficiency as measured using a clinical test.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre on Aging, Health and Social Services Center, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Valérie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cusson
authors.affiliation: Centre d'Excellence sur le Vieillissement de Québec, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Québec, Quebec, Quebec, Canada.|Faculty of Dental Medicine, Laval University, Quebec, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Caron
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal Research Center, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Pierrette
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gaudreau
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.|Division of Geriatrics, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: José A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Morais
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Centre de Recherche, Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal, University of Montreal, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Bryna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shatenstein
authors.affiliation: Research Centre on Aging, Health and Social Services Center, University Institute of Geriatrics of Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.|Department of Community Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sherbrooke University, Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Hélène
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Payette
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000502:physiology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001732:Bite Force; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000502:physiology; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D009909:Oral Health; D010316:Particle Size; D011792:Quebec; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
keywords: assessment; masticatory efficiency; older adults; perception