A Preliminary Study on the Relationship between the Number of Remaining Teeth and Dietary Intake in Older Adults Using Dietary Imaging Data

Abstract

　Purpose：Masticatory function is highly dependent on the number of remaining teeth and previous studies support the relationship between the number of remaining teeth and dietary intake status. However, in these studies, data on foods consumed are collected based on the memories of survey respondents and are not objective. Therefore, in addition to self-reported dietary intake surveys, recording and analyzing images of meals would enable more accurate measurement of dietary intake. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the number of remaining teeth and dietary intake among older adults using self-reporting records and images of meals.

　Methods：The number of remaining teeth and dietary intake of 31 participants were investigated. An analysis of covariance（ANCOVA）was performed on the two groups, and dietary and nutrient intakes were compared.

　Results：Intake of retinol and vitamin B12 was significantly higher in the group with ≥20 teeth than in the one with ＜20 teeth（Retinol：0-19；216.24（301.48）, 20≤；627.82（716.26）, p＝0.01）（Vitamin B12：0-19；3.13（1.63）, 20≤；5.87（1.63）, p＜0.01）. Regarding the average food intake, no significant differences were observed between the two groups.

　Discussion：The number of remaining teeth affects the ability of a person to chew and can prevent malnutrition. Within the same food group, the degree of difficulty of chewing varies greatly depending on the individual food. If food groups are classified in detail based on their hardness and properties, there is a possibility that differences in food intake may occur.