Masticatory performance in 80-year-old individuals

Objective:  To evaluate the masticatory performance of elderly people at the age of 80 years. Subjects:  A total of 283 individuals of 80 years of age took part in a general and dental health survey. Main outcome measures:  A dental examination including the number of remaining teeth, occlusion, prostheses, bite force recording, and a questionnaire regarding masticatory performance were recorded. Setting:  Five municipalities (Okazaki city, Tokoname city, Tahara town, Atsumi town and Minami-chita town) in Aichi prefecture, Japan. Results:  There were 20 or more teeth in 7.4% subjects, and 44.5% were edentulous. Subjects with no occlusion accounted for 77.4% of the total. Subjects with prostheses accounted for 90.8%. Maximum bite force and masticatory ability score for patients with 20 or more teeth or not wearing prostheses were higher than other groups. The non-wearing prostheses group had a low masticatory ability score. Conclusion:  Most of the 80-year-old individuals recovered their masticatory ability with the assistance of prostheses. Several individuals with 20 or more remaining teeth or without removable dentures present in both jaws had a high score for bite forces and masticatory abilities.