Masticatory performance in 80-year-old individuals

Objective: To evaluate the masticatory performance of elderly people at the age of 80 years. Subjects: A total of 283 individuals of 80 years of age took part in a general and dental health survey. Main outcome measures: A dental examination including the number of remaining teeth, occlusion, prostheses, bite force recording, and a questionnaire regarding masticatory performance were recorded. Setting: Five municipalities (Okazaki city, Tokoname city, Tahara town, Atsumi town and Minami‐chita town) in Aichi prefecture, Japan. Results: There were 20 or more teeth in 7.4% subjects, and 44.5% were edentulous. Subjects with no occlusion accounted for 77.4% of the total. Subjects with prostheses accounted for 90.8%. Maximum bite force and masticatory ability score for patients with 20 or more teeth or not wearing prostheses were higher than other groups. The non‐wearing prostheses group had a low masticatory ability score. Conclusion: Most of the 80‐year‐old individuals recovered their masticatory ability with the assistance of prostheses. Several individuals with 20 or more remaining teeth or without removable dentures present in both jaws had a high score for bite forces and masticatory abilities.