Various definitions of poor dentition in older adults has been linked with inadequate intake of nutrients and poor diet quality. This study aims to look at the associations between poor dentition as defined by the composition of functional tooth units, and dietary intake of nutrients in community dwelling older men.
Poor dentition, defined by numbers of teeth, functional tooth units or edentulism has been previously shown to be associated with poor intakes of nutrients in older adults, including but not limited to vitamin C, calcium, fibre, protein, zinc and folate. Similar findings have been found when poor dentition is defined by the presence of a prosthesis. Reasons for this inverse relationship include poor denture quality, reduced chewing capacity, or the inadequacy of prosthesis to replace natural teeth. However limited studies have looked at how the composition (natural verses prosthetic) of functional tooth units is associated with nutrient intake. A cross sectional analysis of a cohort of male older adults, participating in an ongoing longitudinal study, was conducted to investigate nutrition and oral health associations, including the relationship between the composition of functional tooth units and nutrient intake.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
781
Composition of functional tooth units measured by trained oral health therapists and was categorised into 3 groups: Group A: Natural units only Group B: Natural \& Prosthetic units present Group C: No natural units present
The Centre for Education and Research on Ageing
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Dietary intake of nutrients
A diet history was performed, and data entered into a database which provided daily average nutrient intakes.
Time frame: 45 minute interview on 1 day (cross-sectional).
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