DENTAL STATE AND FUNCTIONAL-CAPACITY IN 75-YEAR-OLDS IN 3 NORDIC LOCALITIES

The aims of the study were to compare dental state in three Nordic 75- year-old populations and to evaluate dental state as a marker of funct ional ageing. The study is part of a Nordic comparative study of 75-ye ar-olds in Glostrup, Goteborg and Jyvaskyla. In the dental studies, 41 1 subjects in Denmark, 308 in Sweden and 310 in Finland participated. Odontological history was obtained from interviews. Other methods, whi ch are described elsewhere, were used to measure various functional pa rameters. In Goteborg, 23% of the 75-year-olds reported they were eden tulous and 27% that they had more than 20 of their own teeth. The corr esponding figures in Glostrup were 45% and 15% and in Jyvaskyla 58% an d 9%, respectively. In all three localities, economic factors and life style factors, such as tobacco smoking, low physical activity and low social activity, were significant predictors for impaired dental healt h. The number of teeth was significantly associated with, for example, spirometry parameters, reaction time, body extention and body flexion in males. In females, significant associations were obtained with spi rometry parameters, reaction time, handgrip, body extension and body f lexion. Internordic differences regarding dental state were obvious. D ental state was associated with functional capacities. We suggest that dental state is a marker of functional capacity in elderly population s.