Exploring the evidence of preventive effect of denture wearing on dementia through improvement of nutrition intake

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K09650
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 57050:Prosthodontics-related
• Research Institution: Tohoku University
• Principal Investigator: Tsuboi Akito 東北大学, 東北メディカル・メガバンク機構, 非常勤講師 (00241646)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 認知症 / 義歯 / 咬合支持 / 栄養摂取

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated the usefulness of a nutritional approach, which is considered one of the promising strategies for dementia prevention, with a focus on oral status. Specifically, we examined the interrelationships between dental data such as occlusion, denture use, and periodontal status, obtained from a general population participating in a prospective cohort study of the Tohoku Medical Megabank Project, and changes in brain morphology related to nutritional status and cognitive function.
The results showed that low occlusal support significantly increased carbohydrate intake and decreased protein intake and unsaturated fatty acid intake. The study also revealed changes in physiological function parameters, such as BMI and systolic blood pressure, when the range of occlusal support was low. Finally, these changes were not found in the denture use group

Free Research Field

補綴歯科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の結果、咀嚼困難であるほど栄養摂取に偏りがあることが明らかになり、一方でこの栄養摂取の偏りは義歯使用群ではレスキューされることがわかった。咬合支持域は健康寿命延伸に関与しており義歯による咬合支持域回復は健康寿命延伸に効果的であることが示唆された。2025年（令和7年）には認知症症状を有する高齢者が約780万人に達すると推計されており、本研究成果は認知症発症・予防のための方針として社会的意義を持つことが予想される。