The present study confirmed that there are age and sex differences in taste sensitivity for the four basic tastes among young adult, young-old, and old-old Japanese, and that the sensitivity of sweet taste is more robust than the other tastes. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 1281-1288.

BackgroundGrowing evidence suggests that oral health may be an important factor associated with cognitive function in aged populations. However, many previous studies on this topic used insensitive oral indicators or did not include certain essential covariates. Thus, we examined the association between occlusal force and cognitive function in a large sample of older adults, controlling for dietary intake, vascular risk factors, inflammatory biomarkers, depression, and genetic factors.MethodsIn this cross-sectional study of older community-dwelling Japanese adults, we examined data collected from 994 persons aged 70 years and 968 persons aged 80 years. Cognitive function was measured using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J). Oral status and function were evaluated according to the number of remaining teeth, periodontal pocket depth, and maximal occlusal force. Associations between MoCA-J scores and occlusal force were investigated via bivariate and multivariate analyses.ResultsEducation level, financial status, depression score, and intake of green and yellow vegetables, as well as number of teeth and occlusal force, were significantly correlated with MoCA-J scores in both age groups. Among individuals aged 80 years, CRP and periodontal status were weakly but significantly associated with MoCA-J score. After controlling for all significant variables via bivariate analyses, the correlation between maximal occlusal force and cognitive function persisted. A path analysis confirmed the hypothesis that cognitive function is associated with occlusal force directly as well as indirectly via food intake.ConclusionsAfter controlling for possible factors, maximal occlusal force was positively associated with cognitive function directly as well as indirectly through dietary intake.

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Aim Previous studies have reported significant associations between tooth loss or periodontal status and cognitive function; however, animal experimental studies have shown that occlusion might be a more important factor in cognitive decline. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the influence of a lack of posterior occlusal support by residual teeth on the decline of cognitive function over a 3‐year period among 80‐year‐old Japanese people. Methods Participants were community‐dwelling older adults (n = 515, age 79–81 years). Cognitive function was measured using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. At baseline, participants were divided into two groups: those with and without posterior occlusal support. Participants whose Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment score decreased by ≥3 points over the 3‐year period were defined as the declined group. Logistic regression was carried out for the decline in Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores, including dental status and possible risk factors as independent variables. Results More participants without posterior occlusal support tended to be in the cognitive decline group (49.4%) than in the maintained group (38.5%; χ2‐test, P = 0.02). Logistic regression analysis showed that a lack of posterior occlusal support was a significant variable (odds ratio 1.55, P = 0.03) for cognitive decline, even after adjusting for other risk factors. However, the number of teeth or mean periodontal pocket depth was not significantly correlated with cognitive decline. Conclusions The present findings suggest that a lack of posterior occlusal support predicted the incidence of cognitive decline, even after adjusting for possible risk factors in community‐dwelling old‐old people. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 1439–1446.

Handgrip strength was related to various oral functions after adjustment for the number of teeth in this population of community-dwelling 82- to 84-year-old Japanese.