Impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic on Dental Visits in Japan.

Purpose: This study aimed to clarify the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on individual dental-visit behaviour and examine the difference between elderly and other individuals regarding the impact on dental visits.

Materials And Methods: An interrupted time-series analysis was performed to examine the change in data from the national database before and after the first declaration of a state of emergency.

Results: The number of patients visiting a dental clinic (NPVDC), number of dental treatment days (NDTD) and dental expenses (DE) during the first declaration of a state of emergency decreased by 22.

Discordance between hyposalivation and xerostomia among community-dwelling older adults in Japan.

Individuals with an objective decrease in salivary flow (objective dry mouth) may not be aware of subjective dry mouth (xerostomia). However, no clear evidence exists to explain the discordance between subjective and objective dry mouth. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence of xerostomia and decreased salivary flow among community-dwelling elderly adults.

[Relationship between the number of prescribed medications and oral dysfunction in elderly individuals].

Objective　Polypharmacy in elderly individuals may cause reduced flow of saliva and xerostomia. A dry mouth can lead to poor oral function; however, there are no reports on the relationship between polypharmacy and subjective or objective oral dysfunction. The purpose of this study was to clarify the relationship between the number of prescribed medications and subjective and objective oral dysfunction.

Association between daily physical activity and neighborhood environments.

Objective: Previous studies on the association between physical activity (PA) and neighborhood environments (NE) focused on either objectively measuring the NE or the residents' perception of NE. Here, we investigate which actual or perceived NE is associated with residents' PA in Japan.

Methods: Two regions with an objectively assessed high and low residential density, land use mix-diversity, and street connectivity, respectively, were identified in one city.

Changes in food intake patterns associated with body weight loss during a 12-week health promotion program and a 9-month follow-up period in a Japanese population.

Recently, food intake pattern analysis associated with body weight has been conducted instead of traditional dietary analysis focusing on a single nutrient or food group, but there have been few studies examining the association between change in food intake patterns and body weight loss. In this study, short- and long-term relationships between changes in food intake patterns and body weight loss were examined. Subjects were 506 overweight/obese men and women who participated in a 12-week health promotion program and a follow-up check 9 months later.