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ObjectiveTo investigate the longitudinal relationship between the intake of dietary antioxidants and periodontal disease in community-dwelling older Japanese.DesignA retrospective cohort study, with a follow-up of 2 years (2003-2005). Intakes of dietary antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin E, α-carotene and β-carotene) were assessed with a validated FFQ. Participants were classified by tertile of antioxidant intake. Full-mouth periodontal status, measured as the clinical attachment level, was recorded at baseline and follow-up examinations. Periodontal disease progression was considered as loss of attachment of 3 mm or greater over the study period at the interproximal site for each tooth. Finally, the number of teeth with periodontal disease progression per person was calculated and was used as the outcome. Poisson regression analysis was conducted, with dietary antioxidants as the main exposure, to estimate their influence on the number of teeth with periodontal disease progression.SettingNiigata City (Japan).SubjectsDentate individuals aged 75 years in 2003, for whom data were available, were included in the analyses (n 264).ResultsA higher intake of dietary antioxidants was inversely associated with the number of teeth with periodontal disease progression, controlling for other variables. The multivariate-adjusted incidence rate ratios in the first, second and third tertiles were 1·00, 0·76 (95 % CI 0·60, 0·97) and 0·72 (95 % CI 0·56, 0·93) for vitamin C; 1·00, 0·79 (95 % CI 0·62, 0·99) and 0·55 (95 % CI 0·42, 0·72), for vitamin E; and 1·00, 1·02 (95 % CI 0·81, 1·29) and 0·73 (95 % CI 0·56, 0·95) for β-carotene.ConclusionsThe study results suggest that higher intake of antioxidants may mitigate periodontal disease in community-dwelling older Japanese.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the dental caries status of indicator age groups as mentioned in the WHO pathfinder methodology, compare caries experiences among those age groups according to gender and geographical location, and assess the association between dental caries and related risk factors in primary and permanent dentition. Methods: A sample of 5928 participants aged 6, 12, 15–18, 35–44 and 60–74 years were recruited from 21 selected townships in the first Myanmar national oral health survey. Clinical oral examinations and questionnaire‐based surveys were conducted from December 2016 to January 2017. Results: The prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth was 85.3% with a mean dmft of 5.7 at age 6 years. The prevalence of dental caries in permanent teeth and mean DMFT were 36.5% and 0.8 at 12 years, 43.8% and 1.1 at 15–18 years, 64.7% and 3.0 at 35–44 years, and 93.6% and 11.5 at 60–74 years. Missing teeth were higher in 60–74‐year‐olds, with 27 participants being fully edentulous. There were significant differences in caries experiences between males and females aged 15–18, 35–44 and 60–74 years. In the adjusted logistic regression, consumption of sweets or candies three times or more a day showed significantly higher risks of dental caries in primary teeth. Age, gender, consumption of sweets or candies and consumption of sweet drinks were associated factors for dental caries in permanent teeth. Conclusion: The findings from the first national oral health survey indicate that caries in primary teeth is an important oral health problem for Myanmar children. Tooth loss was also found to be a concern in the aging population. National oral health policies and strategies need to be developed to promote awareness and understanding of oral health, in particular the role of risk factors such as sugary foods and drinks in tooth decay in children and adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: There is limited evidence of a temporal relationship between periodontal diseases and self‐perceived general health. To plug this knowledge gap, we aimed to assess how periodontal health affects future self‐rated health (SRH). Methods: We collected data from five waves of an annual nationwide Japanese survey of dental patients from 2015 to 2019. The analysis of repeated measurements included 9306 observations from 4242 patients aged 20 years or older. The clinical periodontitis measurements were bleeding on probing, deepest periodontal pocket depth and most severe clinical attachment loss (CAL). We used a self‐administered questionnaire to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics, diabetes history, health behaviour, SRH and self‐reported periodontitis. We applied 2‐level ordered logistic regression models for repeated measurements to examine the relationships between SRH (time t) and 1‐year‐lagged periodontal health (time t‐1) after adjusting for covariates. Results: The percentage of SRH responses recorded at time t as 'good', 'moderate' and 'poor' were 36.9%, 52.4% and 10.7%, respectively. Multivariate analyses showed that the risk of poorer SRH at time t increased in patients with CAL ≥7 mm (odds ratio [OR] = 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02–1.30), those who reported bleeding gums (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.21–1.46) and those who perceived swollen gums (OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.26–1.56) at time t‐1. Sensitivity analyses using the 4‐year follow‐up model and 3‐year‐lagged cohort model also showed consistent results. Conclusion: Periodontitis shows a gradual contribution to future SRH in dental patients, even after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, general health and health‐related behaviours. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. The relationship between physical fitness and dental health status in elderly adults is still unknown. The purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between physical fitness and occlusal condition of natural teeth in the elderly population. The sample consisted of 591 individuals aged 70 years and 158 aged 80 years selected from the registry of residents in Niigata city. Methods. Hand grip strength (kg), leg extensor strength (kg), leg extensor power (watts), stepping rate (time per 10 seconds), and one-leg standing time with eyes open (seconds) were measured. The Eichner index was used as a measurement of occlusal condition. It was based on existing natural tooth contacts between maxilla and mandible in the bilateral premolar and molar regions and determined the three groups of classification used. In comparing physical fitness with Eichner index, multiple regression models were developed to adjust for variables such as age, gender, height, body weight, past medical history, blood pressure, serum albumin concentration, presence of lower back pain, smoking habit, marital status, and education. Results. Multiple regression analyses revealed that leg extensor power ([R.sup.2] = .627, p < .05), stepping rate ([R.sup.2] = .159, p < .05), and one-leg standing time with eyes open ([R.sup.2] = . 179, p < .05) showed significant correlations with the Eichner index. Conclusions. Leg extensor power, stepping rate, and one-leg standing time with eyes open are useful indicators in evaluating lower extremity dynamic strength, agility, and balance function, respectively. These findings suggest that dental occlusal condition is associated with lower extremity dynamic strength, agility, and balance function in elderly adults.