FUNCTIONAL UNITS, CHEWING, SWALLOWING, AND FOOD AVOIDANCE AMONG THE ELDERLY

Purpose. The number of teeth in the dentition was compared with the nu mber and types of dental functional units (opposing tooth pairs) to co rrelate the number of functional units with complaints about chewing a nd swallowing in the elderly. Material and methods. Complaints of oral -pharyngeal function and food avoidance practices were compared with t he number and types of functional units. A convenience sample of 602 e lderly subjects (468 men, 134 women, mean age 70 years) were interview ed and examined dentally. Results. Functional unit measures, which inc luded functional arrangement of the teeth and the number and type of t eeth present, were found to be more discriminatory and descriptive of masticatory potential than the mere number of teeth. Elderly persons ( greater than or equal to 60 years of age) with reduced numbers of func tional units tended to report difficulty chewing, avoidance of stringy foods (including meat), crunchy foods (including vegetables), and dry solid foods (including breads), and difficulty in swallowing. Removab le prostheses did not appear to prevent these consequences and, at lea st in this elderly population, did not appear to be equivalent to natu ral teeth in terms of masticatory potential. Conclusions. It is possib le that compromised dental function results in the swallowing of poorl y chewed food, food avoidance patterns, dietary inadequacies, and syst emic changes favoring illness, reduced vigor, debilitation, and shorte ned life expectancy. Emphasis should be placed on maintaining natural teeth whenever possible.