A new Japanese study calls on older people to take better care of their teeth, saying poor oral health can significantly shorten life expectancy.
Poor oral health, defined as fewer remaining teeth, dry mouth, difficulty speaking, chewing, and swallowing, can reflect poor overall health in older adults.
Some people may have most of their natural teeth but still be considered “orally fragile” if they develop chewing problems because oral health also involves muscle strength, saliva, and the ability to swallow.
Japanese researchers found that this oral fragility is closely linked to a reduced chance of healthy aging.
“Visiting a dentist may mitigate this outcome in older adults,” they state in their latest study published in the journal International Geriatrics and Gerontology.
Researchers assessed the oral health of 11,080 adults aged 65 or older in Japan.
Study participants were asked if they had seen a dentist in the past six months, and they were followed for an average of six years using National Disability and Mortality Records to see whether they remained healthy, became disabled or died.
A recent visit to the dentist was seen as a sign that participants maintained good oral health.
The researchers also estimated each participant’s healthy life expectancy, which is a measure of how many years a person can live without disability or serious deterioration in health.
A dentist performs dental treatment on an American patient at the Rubio Dental Group office in Los Algodones, Mexico (AFP/Getty Images)
Of the 11,080 adults evaluated, 12% had oral fragility at the start of the study, and about 50% had visited a dentist within the past six months. Compared with people without oral fragility, people with oral fragility were 23% more likely to transition from healthy to disabled during follow-up. Participants with weak mouths were 34% more likely to die during follow-up.
Researchers recommend that older adults visit their dentist regularly to avoid or delay the decline of oral function and help them stay healthy and independent longer.
Although the findings do not prove that visiting the dentist directly leads to better health outcomes, the study shows that the association is strong and consistent across groups.
“These findings highlight the need for public health policies that promote oral health, which can significantly improve the quality of life and reduce the burden of disability among older adults,” the report states.