journal articles
ASSOCIATION OF DENTAL STATUS WITH VEGETABLE INTAKE IN AN ELDERLY POPULATION
T. Hirotomi, A. Yoshihara, H. Ogawa, H. Miyazaki
J Aging Res Clin Practice 2012;1(1):84-87
Objective: To investigate the association of dental status with fruit and vegetable intake in a Japanese elderly population. Design: A cross-sectional survey on a household basis. Setting: A prefecture in Japan: Niigata. Participants: A total of 123 edentulous and 541 dentulous Japanese elderly people aged 65 years and older. Measurements: During a single day of the survey period, each individual household member recorded the type and amount of food eaten and each record was confirmed by dietitians. Data regarding the number of teeth present were collected by questionnaire. Results: The adjusted mean of vegetable intake was significantly lower in the edentulous (351.6 +/- 17.1 g, P = 0.042) and those with 1-9 teeth (344.6 +/- 16.3 g, P = 0.013) than in those with 20 teeth or more (394.9 +/- 11.3 g). A significantly higher adjusted level of consumption of sweets was found in the edentulous (32.6 +/- 3.7 g, P = 0.033) than in those with 20 teeth or more (22.8 +/- 2.4 g). While total fruit intake did not differ by dental status, edentulous elderly consumed significantly more oranges (33.1 +/- 4.9 g, P = 0.021), less cabbage (17.3 +/- 4.8 g, P = 0.001) and tended to eat fewer apples. Conclusions: Retention of even a few teeth could help in terms of the intake of some kinds of fruit for the elderly.