Epidemiologic examinations of non-heritable risk factors for cognitive function and effect on health-related QOL

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22790566
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Research Field: Public health/Health science
• Research Institution: Nara Medical University
• Principal Investigator: OKAMOTO NOZOMI 奈良県立医科大学, 医学部, 講師 (70364057)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 認知機能 / 口腔衛生 / 健康関連ＱＯＬ

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This was a prospective cohort study which aimed to investigate relationships between tooth loss and cognitive impairment. We also developed the Japanese version of the 15D, which was a comprehensive health-related quality of life questionnaire.　The subjects were 4427 community-dwelling independent elderly people at baseline. We performed a follow-up examination in the fifth year. We observed a significant association between total tooth loss, progression to edentulism in the group with a few number of teeth, and the development of mild memory impairment, even after adjustment for confounding factors.　Because of the short time required to complete the Japanese 15D and the significant relationships between the 15D and higher-level functional capacity, the acceptability and validity of the Japanese 15D were considered to be sufficient.

Free Research Field

疫学・公衆衛生