Oral Health and Incident Depressive Symptoms: JAGES Project Longitudinal Study in Older Japanese.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether oral health status predicts depressive symptoms in older Japanese people.


METHODS
Longitudinal study.


METHODS
Twenty-four municipalities in Japan.


METHODS
Community-dwelling individuals aged 65 years and older who responded to mail surveys performed by the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study in 2010 and 2013 (N = 14,279).


METHODS
Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Multiple imputations were used to deal with missing data. After excluding participants with depressive symptoms (GDS ≥ 5) at baseline, odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for incident depressive symptoms in 2013 were estimated using logistic regression models.


RESULTS
After adjusting for sex, age, educational attainment, equivalized household income, marital status, present illness, exercise, frequency of going out, and visits for dental treatment, the following ORs (95% CIs) were observed in simultaneously added oral health variables: 10-19 teeth (OR 1.16, 95% CI 0.99-1.37, reference: ≥20 teeth); 1-9 teeth (1.14, 0.94-1.38, reference: ≥20 teeth); no teeth (1.28, 1.03-1.60, reference: ≥20 teeth); more difficulty chewing tough foods now than 6 months ago (1.24, 1.04-1.47); choking when drinking tea or soup (1.02, 0.84-1.23); feelings of thirst (1.17, 0.99-1.40); difficulty eating food (0.98, 0.80-1.21), difficulty speaking clearly (1.19, 0.89-1.60); problems with smiling (1.24, 0.94-1.65); problems with emotional stability (1.32, 0.86-2.04); and problems enjoying oneself around family, friends, or other people (0.86, 0.42-1.78).


CONCLUSIONS
These findings suggest that having no teeth and oral health problems may play a role in the development or worsening of depressive symptoms.
Division of Dental Sociology, Department of Oral Science, Graduate School of Dentistry, Kanagawa Dental University, Kanagawa, Japan.
Tatsuo
T
Yamamoto
Department of International and Community Oral Health, Tohoku University Graduate School of Dentistry, Miyagi, Japan.
Jun
J
Aida
Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.|Center for Well-being and Society, Nihon Fukushi University, Aichi, Japan.|Department of Gerontological Evaluation, Center for Gerontology and Social Science, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.
Katsunori
K
Kondo
Division of Dental Sociology, Department of Oral Science, Graduate School of Dentistry, Kanagawa Dental University, Kanagawa, Japan.
Shinya
S
Fuchida
Department of Global Health Promotion, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.|Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Tokyo, Japan.
Yukako
Y
Tani
Center for Well-being and Society, Nihon Fukushi University, Aichi, Japan.|Department of Social Welfare, Nihon Fukushi University, Aichi, Japan.
Masashige
M
Saito
Center for Preventive Medical Sciences, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
Yuri
Y
Sasaki
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D007564:Japan; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008409:Mastication / Q000502:physiology; D009909:Oral Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014070:Tooth
depressive symptoms; longitudinal study; older people; oral health status