ASSOCIATION BETWEEN CHEWING ABILITY AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG OLDER PATIENTS

Received 2024-03-01; Accepted 2024-03-29; Published 2024-03-29

Abstract

Tooth loss is commonly linked to reduced chewing ability and cognitive function among the older population. This study aimed to assess the association between masticatory ability and cognitive function among older patients in one of the public university dental clinic in Kuala Lumpur. A cross-sectional study was performed on 76 dental patients aged over 60 years who received treatment in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Dental examination was performed to assess the respondents’ dental status, namely the number of teeth present and their denture status. Masticatory ability of the respondents was assessed with Masticatory Performance Evaluating Chewing Gum (XYLITOL®; Lotte Co., Ltd., Saitama, Japan). The color-changeable chewing gum was categorized into five levels. Darker pink color showed higher chewing ability while yellow implied poorer score. Based on the colour, a score of 1 to 5 points was given. Cognitive status was measured with the 13-items Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) questionnaire. The scores ranged between 0 to 30. A score of 23 or below was accepted cutoff point indicating the presence of cognitive impairment. The mean number of remaining teeth was 11.6 ± 10.24, with 30.3% having total tooth loss. The mean chewing score was 3.37 ± 1.41. About 46.1% of respondents were classified as poor chewers, and 53.9% were good chewers. Older people who had fewer teeth and decreased chewing performance had significantly reduced MMSE scores. The MMSE score was significantly correlated with the number of teeth present (r=0.331; p<0.05) and masticatory ability (r=0.594; p<0.05). It is suggested that having an optimal number of teeth in the oral cavity for good masticatory function is important to good cognitive functioning. In addition, long-term studies are required to investigate the relationship between the role of masticatory ability on cognition especially among older population.