Patients with mild cognitive impairment diagnosed at dementia clinic display decreased maximum occlusal force: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Previous research indicates that patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are more likely to have poor oral health and impairments in oral functions, which may be due to few remaining teeth and impaired tongue and lip motor function. However, the oral health of those patients following comprehensive cognitive assessment by a dementia specialist has not been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the oral function of patients with MCI and the association between oral health and lower cognitive function. Methods This cross-sectional study included 96 participants (men: 35; women: 61; mean age: 73.3 ± 8.5 years) who visited a dementia clinic between December 2017 and January 2020. Participants’ cognitive function was assessed by a dementia specialist using neuropsychological and hematological tests and neuroimaging immediately after enrollment. The participants were divided into the healthy and MCI groups according to comprehensive cognitive assessment. Participants’ age, sex, body mass index, primary disease, education level, drinking habits, smoking habits, living environment, employment status, and exercise habits were evaluated. Moreover, oral outcomes, including the number of existing teeth, number of functional teeth (natural and prosthetic teeth which were occluded with antagonists), denture use, oral dryness, tongue and lip motor function, tongue pressure, occlusal force, masticatory ability, and swallowing ability were recorded. The Mann–Whitney U test, χ2, and Fisher’s exact tests were used for between-group comparisons. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis using MCI diagnosis as the target variable was performed. Results A comprehensive evaluation of the cognitive function of the study participants by the dementia specialist revealed that 48 participants (mean age: 69.8 ± 8.8 years) were healthy and 48 (mean age: 76.9 ± 6.7 years) had MCI. MCI participants were significantly older (p < 0.001) and had significantly fewer existing teeth (p = 0.031) and lower maximum occlusal force (p = 0.019) than healthy participants. Age (odds ratio: 1.126, p = 0.002) and maximum occlusal force (odds ratio: 0.978, p = 0.048) were significantly associated with lower cognitive function. Conclusions Patients with MCI had poorer oral health than healthy individuals. Decreased maximum occlusal force was independently associated with lower cognitive function, even when adjusted for age and sex.

Effects of tongue right positioner use on tongue pressure: a pilot study

“…TP can also be decreased by dysphagia-causing conditions, such as cerebrovascular diseases 3 , neuromuscular dysfunction 4 , Parkinson’s disease 5 , and sarcopenia 6 . In addition, recent evidence suggests that TP may also be decreased in patients with cognitive decline and mild cognitive impairment 7 , 8 . Therefore, a reduction in TP should be considered since it may serve as a valuable index for rehabilitation in dysphagia cases.…”

The Effect of a Masticatory Muscle Training Program on Chewing Efficiency and Bite Force in People with Dementia

“…Numerous studies demonstrated that poorer mastication is associated with lower cognitive function [ 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 ] and is a risk factor for having dementia or mild memory impairment, or for the incidence of dementia [ 48 , 49 , 50 ]. In addition, the physiology of aging leads to atrophy of the masticatory muscles (sarcopenia, hypoactivity of the chewing muscles) [ 51 ].…”

The Sedentary Lifestyle and Masticatory Dysfunction: Time to Review the Contribution to Age-Associated Cognitive Decline and Astrocyte Morphotypes in the Dentate Gyrus

“…Highly sedentary humans (≥8 h/day) display reduced hippocampal volumes and increased white matter (WM) hyperintensities [ 3 , 4 ] that are associated with accelerated cognitive, neuropsychiatric and functional decline [ 5 ]. In addition to the changes associated with a sedentary life, it has become clear that oral dysfunction is present in the same individuals and that this group feature is also associated with dementia or mild cognitive decline [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. While it is not clear whether poor oral health predicts dementia, substantial data suggests that oral health declines as cognitive impairment and dementia progresses [ 7 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 ].…”

“…In addition to the changes associated with a sedentary life, it has become clear that oral dysfunction is present in the same individuals and that this group feature is also associated with dementia or mild cognitive decline [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ]. While it is not clear whether poor oral health predicts dementia, substantial data suggests that oral health declines as cognitive impairment and dementia progresses [ 7 , 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 ]. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that masticatory exercise improves cognitive function in older adults [ 17 ] and thus the link between cognitive decline and masticatory dysfunction is now clear [ 8 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”

“…Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that masticatory exercise improves cognitive function in older adults [ 17 ] and thus the link between cognitive decline and masticatory dysfunction is now clear [ 8 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ]. As loss of masticatory activity [ 8 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ] and sedentary life style [ 23 , 24 ] are risk factors for age-related cognitive decline, there is a need to focus attention on those sub-populations that experience greater oral health deterioration or impairment of the stomatognathic system, and those having living sedentary lives.…”