Dental health care is very important for the general health of people with special needs, but its efforts vary by institution. This study aimed to clarify the actual situation of dental health care and related issues by investigating the dental health initiatives and status of dental examinations among users of facilities for people with special needs in Niigata Prefecture, and evaluate the effectiveness of the assignment of dental professionals. A questionnaire survey was sent to 1,021 facilities for people with special needs in Niigata Prefecture, and responses were received from 801. Among these, 5.1% had a dental professional (dentists and/or dental hygienists). We evaluated the status of dental health management, dental care, and dietary assistance and eating function maintenance in each institution. Based on the results of logistic regression analysis, facilities with dental professionals provided significantly more opportunities to receive a dental examination (odds ratio [OR]=7.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.66-18.55) and dental health guidance (OR=4.34, 95%CI: 1.98-9.51), made significantly greater efforts to prevent dental diseases (OR=3.97, 95%CI: 1.50-10.44), engaged in significantly more daily cooperation (OR=5.02, 95%CI: 2.29-10.99) and consultation with dental professionals (OR=6.53, 95%CI: 2.46-17.35), and showed a significantly higher rate of meeting patients’ needs (OR=3.37, 95%CI: 1.58-7.15). These findings suggest that the placement of dental professionals in facilities for people with special needs is correlated with better dental health.

  In Japan, the number of super-elderly individuals is increasing every year. In this study, we investigated the association among dietary patterns, the nutritional status, and oral function, of super-elderly individuals living at home. The findings of this study will be useful in guiding the dietary habits and increasing the life expectancy of such individuals. Our study included 86 super-elderly individuals (aged 91 years) living at home. We used the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire, Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), and Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). Participants’ dietary patterns were determined from food group intake using principal component analysis, and the associations between dietary patterns and nutritional intake were confirmed using the analysis of variance test. Furthermore, we investigated the association between dietary patterns and food-related factors or MNA-SF or EAT-10. We identified four dietary patterns in this study. Comparison of the tertiles of each principal component score and nutritional intakes showed significant correlations between a “side dish” characterized by a high intake of meat, seaweeds, and vegetables, and a low intake of rice and bread. Notably, we found that a higher “side dish” score corresponded to a higher intake of nutrients, such as protein and vitamin D, and was strongly associated with a better nutritional status. Additionally, the rate of those at risk of dysphagia was significantly higher in the group judged to be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, based on MNA-SF, than in the well-nourished group. Furthermore, it was suggested that the “side dish” pattern was related to the living style and number of people eating together.

  The purpose of this research was to survey the relationship between the degree of independence in daily activities and denture wearing status of residents of special nursing homes for elderly persons. The study participants were 80 residents of special nursing homes for elderly persons who needed to wear dentures. Their daily activities and oral conditions were examined, and the relationship between denture usage and each item was examined using the χ² test and Fisher’s exact test.

  The residents’ denture wearing status was significantly correlated with the degree of nursing care, diet type, ability to wear dentures, ability to rinse the mouth, ability to brush (p<0.01), and Eichner’s classification (p<0.05).

  The subjects who used dentures were independent regarding items of the oral status and daily activities.

  Tooth loss is a complex outcome that reflects an individual’s history of oral disease and its treatment over his or her lifetime. The aim of this study was to investigate susceptibility to loss by tooth type and analyze the tooth loss pattern by applying item response theory (IRT) and Bayesian network analyses. The subjects were 276 elderly adults residing in 12 fee-based care facilities. Three dentists conducted oral examinations to determine the presence or absence of teeth and their locations. Statistical analysis was carried out at the tooth level. Among the 276 subjects participating in this study, 75 (27.2%) were edentulous. Mandibular 1st molars were the most frequently lost teeth, and mandibular canines were the most frequently preserved. The tooth loss pattern was separately analyzed for the maxilla and mandible. The starting point of the tooth loss pattern was set to either the maxillary 2nd molar or the mandibular 1st molar. When the maxillary 2nd molar was lost, the maxillary 1st molar tended to be lost, followed by the maxillary 1st premolar. In the mandible, when the 1st or 2nd molar was lost, both the premolar and frontal teeth tended to be lost.

  The present study analyzed the tooth loss pattern with Bayesian network analysis. The molars might be the starting point of the tooth loss pattern. Therefore, to prevent such a pattern, it is important to preserve the health of the molars.