%0 Journal Article
%T Dental Health Behaviors, Dentition, and Mortality in the Elderly: The Leisure World Cohort Study
%A Annlia Paganini-Hill
%A Stuart C. White
%A Kathryn A. Atchison
%J Journal of Aging Research
%D 2011
%I Hindawi Publishing Corporation
%R 10.4061/2011/156061
%X In the last decade the effect of oral health on the general health and mortality of elderly people has attracted attention. We explored the association of dental health behaviors and dentition on all-cause mortality in 5611 older adults followed from 1992 to 2009 ( years) and calculated risk estimates using Cox regression analysis in men and women separately. Toothbrushing at night before bed, using dental floss everyday, and visiting the dentist were significant risk factors for longevity. Never brushing at night increased risk 20¨C35% compared with brushing everyday. Never flossing increased risk 30% compared with flossing everyday. Not seeing a dentist within the last 12 months increased risk 30¨C50% compared with seeing a dentist two or more times. Mortality also increased with increasing number of missing teeth. Edentulous individuals (even with dentures) had a 30% higher risk of death compared with those with 20+ teeth. Oral health behaviors help maintain natural, healthy and functional teeth but also appear to promote survival in older adults. 1. Introduction Only in the last decade has the possible effect of oral health on the general health and mortality of elderly people attracted much attention. An association between number of teeth and mortality has been reported in several studies [1¨C11]. As people age, many lose teeth. Tooth loss reduces masticatory capacity, which can influence food selection, nutritional status, and general health. Evidence is also increasing that oral infections play a role in the pathogenesis of some systemic diseases and may be especially debilitating in the old and frail [12, 13]. The focus of the present study was to examine the possible role not only of dentition status, especially the number of natural teeth and use of dentures, but also of dental health practices as predictors of mortality in elderly men and women. In addition, we wanted to determine if any observed effects would remain after adjusting for other health and lifestyle factors related to mortality. We hypothesized that more teeth and better dental health behaviors would be related to increased longevity. We report here the results in a large cohort (over 5000) of elderly (median age 81 years) men and women followed for 17 years. 2. Materials and Methods The Leisure World Cohort Study was established in the early 1980s when 13,978 (8877 female and 5101 male) residents of a California retirement community (Leisure World Laguna Hills) completed a postal health survey. Residents were recruited in four waves: those who owned homes in Leisure World on June
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jar/2011/156061/