The Relationship between Chewing Ability and Health Status in the Urban Elderly who Resides in the House

도시 재택노인의 저작능력과 건강상태와의 관련성

Background: The objective of this study is to evaluate the relationship between chewing ability and health status in order to provide basic information for the development of program which may lead to an improvement of a the elderly health status in urban areas. Materials and methods: The subjects of this study were 128 elderly urban female over the age of 65 who reside at house. The data were collected from May 21 to August 20, 2001, through questionnaires about nutrient intake status, direct measurement of anthropometrics, and oral examinations. Results: In terms of remaining teeth, there was significant negative relationship between age and number of remained teeth. The average number of remained teeth our subjects was $13.1{\pm}10.6$. About sixty five percent of the subjects were denture users (partial or full dentures) and there was positive relationship between age and the percentage of denture user. There was a significant negative correlation between age and chewing ability. The group that was able to chew had more remained teeth than the other group. Conclusion: This study suggests that there is strong positive relationship between chewing ability (remaining teeth) and elderly health status in urban areas, and the importance of preserving original teeth to improve the elderly health status in the public health program.