Exploring the association between number of teeth, food intake, and cognitive function: A 9-year longitudinal study

Tomoaki Mameno; Paula Moynihan; Takeshi Nakagawa; Hiroki Inagaki; Suzuna Akema; Yuki Murotani; Satoko Takeuchi; Ayaka Kimura; Yoshie Okada; Yoshitaka Tsujioka; Kotaro Higashi; Hiromasa Hagino; Yusuke Mihara; Takayuki Kosaka; Toshihito Takahashi; Masahiro Wada; Yasuyuki Gondo; Kei Kamide; Hiroshi Akasaka; Mai Kabayama; Tatsuro Ishizaki; Yukie Masui; Kazunori Ikebe

doi:10.1016/j.jdent.2024.104991

Exploring the association between number of teeth, food intake, and cognitive function: A 9-year longitudinal study

J Dent. 2024 Apr 10:145:104991. doi: 10.1016/j.jdent.2024.104991. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Tomoaki Mameno¹, Paula Moynihan², Takeshi Nakagawa³, Hiroki Inagaki⁴, Suzuna Akema⁵, Yuki Murotani⁵, Satoko Takeuchi⁵, Ayaka Kimura⁵, Yoshie Okada⁵, Yoshitaka Tsujioka⁵, Kotaro Higashi⁵, Hiromasa Hagino⁵, Yusuke Mihara⁵, Takayuki Kosaka⁵, Toshihito Takahashi⁵, Masahiro Wada⁵, Yasuyuki Gondo⁶, Kei Kamide⁷, Hiroshi Akasaka⁸, Mai Kabayama⁷, Tatsuro Ishizaki⁹, Yukie Masui⁹, Kazunori Ikebe⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Removable Prosthodontics and Gerodontology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, 1-8 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan. Electronic address: mameno.tomoaki.dent@osaka-u.ac.jp.
² Adelaide Dental School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, The University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia.
³ Research Institute, National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, 7-430 Morioka, Obushi, Aichi 474-8511 Japan.
⁴ Research Team for Promoting Independence and Mental Health, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan.
⁵ Department of Removable Prosthodontics and Gerodontology, Osaka University Graduate School of Dentistry, 1-8 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
⁶ Department of Clinical Thanatology and Geriatric Behavioral Science, Osaka University Graduate School of Human Sciences, 1-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
⁷ Division of Health Sciences, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-7 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
⁸ Department of Geriatric and General Medicine, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, 1-7 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan.
⁹ Tokyo Metropolitan Geriatric Hospital and Institute of Gerontology, 35-2 Sakae-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0015, Japan.

PMID: 38608831
DOI: 10.1016/j.jdent.2024.104991

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between the number of teeth, food intake, and cognitive function in Japanese community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: This 9-year longitudinal study included a total of 293 analyzable participants who participated in baseline and follow-up surveys. Dental status (number of teeth and periodontal pocket depth), dietary assessment using the brief-type self-administered diet history questionnaire, cognitive function, and the following confounding factors were evaluated: educational level, financial satisfaction, living situation, smoking and drinking habits, history of chronic diseases, apolipoprotein E-ε4 carrier, body mass index, handgrip strength, instrumental activities of daily living, and depressive symptomatology. The Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment was used to evaluate cognitive function. A multinomial logistic regression analysis for the intake level of each food categorized into three groups (low, moderate, high), and a generalized estimating equation (GEE) for cognitive function over nine years were performed.

Results: After controlling for confounding factors, the number of teeth was shown to be associated with the intake of green-yellow vegetables and meat. Furthermore, the GEE indicated that the lowest quartile of intake of green-yellow vegetables significantly associated with lower cognitive function (unstandardized regression coefficient [B] = -0.96, 95 % confidence interval [CI]: -1.72 to -0.20), and the lowest quartile of intake of meat significantly associated with lower cognitive function (B = -1.42, 95 % CI: -2.27 to -0.58).

Conclusions: The intake of green and yellow vegetables and meat, which is influenced by the number of teeth, was associated with cognitive function in Japanese community-dwelling older adults.

Clinical significance: There are few studies that have examined the association between oral health, food intake, and cognitive function. This 9-year longitudinal study suggests that it is important to maintain natural teeth to enable the functional means to consume green-yellow vegetables and meat, and thereby help maintain cognitive function.

Keywords: Cognitive function; Food intake; Longitudinal study; Number of teeth; Older adults.