Impact of the Consistency of Food Substances on Health and Related Factors of Residents in Welfare Facilities for Seniors in Japan

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of food consistency on health and related factors among residents in welfare facilities for seniors (n = 227; mean age, 86.2 ± 8.0 years; 78.9% female). Residents who ate regular food had a lower incidence of fever during the 3-month period (p < 0.001) and consumed more calories (1325.97 ± 220.2 kcal) than those who ate chopped (1125.0 ± 256.8 kcal), paste (1122.0 ± 288.5 kcal), and gastric tube food (812.5 ± 150.7 kcal) (p < 0.001). Modifying a resident’s food by making it softer and finer did not reduce the incidence of choking. Logistic regression analysis (backward elimination method) revealed four factors related to eating regular food: vitality index, appetite, number of remaining teeth, and choking frequency. Causal relationships were not obtained because this was a cross-sectional study. The findings of this study suggest that a regular consistency of food positively influences the health of older individuals.

Relationship between Oral Health Status and Postoperative Fever among Patients with Lung Cancer Treated by Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study

“…This is the same result as in our study, where the oral bacterial count value was not a risk factor for postoperative fever in the multivariate analysis. A number of reports show that a low number of teeth and poor oral function are risk factors for pneumonia and fever in institutionalized seniors [ 45 , 46 ]. Certainly, the presence of teeth may increase plaque retention factors, but more teeth are better for any patient, because tooth loss has been shown to affect morbidity, such as pneumonia [ 47 ].…”