Research Paper Volume 12, Issue 9 pp 8536—8548
The relation of poor mastication with cognition and dementia risk: a population-based longitudinal study
- 1 Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- 2 Department of Dental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- 3 Academic Centre of Geriatric Dentistry, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- 4 The Stockholm Gerontology Research Center- Äldrecentrum, Stockholm, Sweden
- 5 Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China
- 6 Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
- 7 Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
Received: November 18, 2019 Accepted: April 17, 2020 Published: April 30, 2020
https://doi.org/10.18632/aging.103156How to Cite
Copyright © 2020 Dintica et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
We investigated the effect of poor masticatory ability on cognitive trajectories and dementia risk in older adults. 544 cognitively intact adults aged ≥50 were followed for up to 22 years. Cognitive domains (verbal, spatial/fluid, memory, and perceptual speed) were assessed at baseline and follow-ups. Dementia was ascertained according to standard criteria. Masticatory ability was assessed using the Eichner Index and categorized according to the number of posterior occlusal zones: A (all four), B (3-1), and C (none).
At baseline, 147 (27.0%) participants were in Eichner category A, 169 (31.1%) in B and 228 (41.9%) in C. After the age of 65, participants in Eichner category B and C showed an accelerated decline in spatial/fluid abilities (β: -0.16, 95% CI: -0.30 to -0.03) and (β: -0.15, 95% CI: -0.28 to -0.02), respectively. Over the follow-up, 52 incident dementia cases were identified. Eichner categories B or C were not associated with an increased risk of dementia, compared to category A (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 0.83, 95% CI: 0.39 to 1.76 and HR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.30 to 1.29, respectively).
Poor masticatory ability is associated with an accelerated cognitive decline in fluid/spatial abilities, however it was not related to a higher risk of dementia.