口腔衛生習慣と生活機能との関連 : 奈良県御杖村全数調査

Abstract

This study investigated characteristics of people who brush their teeth (including cleaning dentures) 2 times or more a day, which is one of the preventive health behaviors, in terms of the condition of receiving medical treatment for lifestyle- related diseases, such as diabetes mellitus (DM), and higher-level functional capacity. The subjects comprised all 1701 individuals aged 40 years or older living in a village in Nara Prefecture. We distributed a self-administered questionnaire that included questions on oral health behavior, lifestyle (eating, drinking, smoking, exercise behaviors), current health conditions, and the TMIG index as an index of higher-level functional capacity. A total of 1543 individuals (mean age, 64.9 years) who submitted the questionnaire were categorized into four groups: A group (good lifestyle ≧ 3 items and toothbrushing ≧ 2 times a day), B group (good lifestyle ≧ 3 items and toothbrushing < 2 times a day), C group (good lifestyle < 3 items and toothbrushing ≧ 2 times a day), and D group (good lifestyle < 3 items and toothbrushing < 2 times a day). A significant difference in the percentages of those who were under medical treatment for DM was found between the men of A group (3.2%) and B group (7.9%). However, the percentages of those who were under medical treatment for hypertension and hyperlipidemia were similar among all the groups, regardless of gender. Moreover, significant differences in the percentages of subjects who had a perfect "Intellectual Activity" score, which is one of the sublevels of the TMIG index, were found between men in the C group (59.4%) and the D group (48.4%) and between women in the A group (63.4%) and the B group (36.6%). The higher- level functional capacity may be higher among individuals with toothbrushing ≧ 2 times a day, compared with those with toothbrushing < 2 times a day, if the number of good lifestyle items which individuals practice is similar.