Community-based reseach on the connection between oral and systemic health

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K10462
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 57080:Social dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Shinshu University
• Principal Investigator: IZAWA Atsushi 信州大学, 学術研究院保健学系, 教授 (50464095)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 日高 宏哉 信州大学, 学術研究院保健学系, 特任准教授 (10362138) ; 増原 宏明 信州大学, 学術研究院社会科学系, 教授 (10419153) ; 横川 吉晴 信州大学, 学術研究院保健学系, 准教授 (50362140)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 歯周病 / 口腔嚥下機能 / 全身疾患

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study was aimed to examine relationships between periodontitis and systemic diseases in a cohort of 24,552 participants of health screening in Matsumoto city. Answers for a questionnaire “Do you have any problems in your teeth, gums, teeth engagements during mastication and/or any difficulties in swallowing?” were analyzed. Percentages of subjects who had any problems and/or difficulties were 7.4% of those aged 30-39 years, 10.4% of those aged 40-74 years, and 15.3% of those aged 75 years and older. Among those, a high percentage (51.4%) of subjects had been undergoing dental treatment, suggesting high oral health literacy of these subjects. Further prospective research to explore benefits of dental and medical collaborations was critically disturbed by the COVID-19 pandemic, thus we decided to revise our plan and proceed with the analysis of large-scale data based on the National Health Insurance Database (KDB) of Nagano Prefecture.

Free Research Field

循環器内科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

歯周病と全身疾患の関連に基づいて、医科歯科の診療連携が構築されると関連する病態が相互に改善できる可能性がある。コロナ禍のため研究計画を発展的に変更し、長野県の国民健康保険データベース（KDB）に基づいた大規模データの解析準備を進めており、地域保健の大規模データに基づいて健康課題が抽出されると、地域課題の解決に最適な保健医療政策を提言できる可能性に本研究成果の学術的意義がある。地域医師会による医科歯科の診療連携により、ウィズコロナ時代の新たな健康啓発を推進できる可能性に本研究成果の社会的意義がある。