Bidirectional longitudinal associations between subjective oral health and subjective well-being.

Objective: This study investigated the bidirectional longitudinal association between subjective oral health (SOH) and subjective well-being (SWB) over time.

Methods: This cohort study was based on a four-wave surveys conducted by the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. SOH was measured by oral impacts on daily performance (OIDP), self-rated oral health (SROH), and SWB was measured by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale, Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure (CASP-19), and satisfaction with life scale (SWLS).

Periodontal Care Is Associated With a Lower Risk of Dialysis Initiation in Middle-Aged Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A 6-Year Follow-Up Cohort Study Based on a Nationwide Healthcare Database.

Objective: To investigate the association between dental attendance with periodontal care and the risk of dialysis initiation in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D).

Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the Japan Medical Data Center (JMDC) claims database (January 2015 to August 2022). Patients with T2D, aged 40-74, were included.

School-Based Fluoride Mouth-Rinse Programs and Dental Caries Treatment Expenditure: An Ecological Study of the NDB Open Data Japan.

Objectives: The prevalence of dental caries is high in Japan, leading to a huge burden of overall expenditure on dental caries treatment for the population. School-based fluoride mouth-rinse (S-FMR) has been implemented as a public health intervention. However, its cost-effectiveness remains unclear, where universal health insurance covers a broad range of dental treatments at relatively low cost.

Longitudinal association between posterior occlusal contact and dementia development in a large retrospective cohort study using a Japanese claims database.

This study examines the association between posterior occlusal contact and the risk of dementia development in the Japanese population, utilizing Eichner classification to evaluate occlusal status. Data from Japanese health insurance claims were analyzed for the period from April 2016 to March 2022. Participants had undergone specific health checkups, had no prior history of dementia, and were classified according to their dental occlusal contact.

Number of Teeth and Dementia-free Life Expectancy: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study.

Objectives: Previous studies have reported that tooth loss is associated with an increased risk of dementia; however, few have explored the association between number of teeth and dementia-free and total life expectancies. We investigated whether having more teeth is associated with longer dementia-free and total life expectancies.

Design: A 10-year follow-up prospective cohort study from 2010 to 2020.

Differences in Cumulative Long-Term Care Costs by Dental Visit Pattern Among Japanese Older Adults: The JAGES Cohort Study.

Background: Long-term care (LTC) costs create burdens on aging societies. Maintaining oral health through dental visits may result in shorter LTC periods, thereby decreasing LTC costs; however, this remains unverified. We examined whether dental visits in the past 6 months were associated with cumulative LTC insurance (LTCI) costs.

Association between Number of Teeth and Eating out of Home: A 2019 Statistical Survey of the Japanese Representative Population.

Eating out of home (EOH), with its diverse food options, can benefit those with difficulty preparing their meals, especially older adults. Oral health status may be a determinant of EOH, as food accessibility is influenced by oral health, but this association remains unclear. This cross-sectional study used merged data from two national statistical surveys conducted in 2019.

Integrating lipid metabolite analysis with MRI-based transformer and radiomics for early and late stage prediction of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) presents significant diagnostic challenges in its early and late stages. This study aims to utilize preoperative MRI and biochemical indicators of OSCC patients to predict the stage of tumors.

Methods: This study involved 198 patients from two medical centers.

Validity of claims-based definition of number of remaining teeth in Japan: Results from the Longevity Improvement and Fair Evidence Study.

Background: Secondary healthcare data use has been increasing in the dental research field. The validity of the number of remaining teeth assessed from Japanese dental claims data has been reported in several studies, but has not been tested in the general population in Japan.

Objectives: To evaluate the validity of the number of remaining teeth assessed from Japanese dental claims data and assess its predictability against subsequent health deterioration.

Changes in the Utilization of Outpatient and Visiting Dental Care and Per-attendance Care Cost by Age Groups During COVID-19 Pandemic Waves in Japan: A Time-series Analysis From the LIFE Study.

Background: The influence of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on dental care utilization may have differed according to individual characteristics or type of dental care provision. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in dental care utilization and per-attendance costs by age group and type of dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan.

Methods: This time-series study used healthcare insurance claims data from 01/07/2019 to 09/27/2021 (143 weeks) from nine municipalities in Japan.

The association between objective and subjective oral health conditions and the presence of anorexia of aging among Japanese older Adults.

Anorexia of aging is a risk factor for malnutrition among older adults. This study aimed to evaluate the association between objective and subjective oral health and anorexia among independent older adults. This cross-sectional study targeted independent older adults aged ≥65 years who participated in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study conducted in 2022.

Dental prosthesis use moderates association between tooth loss and risk of depressive symptoms in older adults with severe tooth loss: The JAGES cohort trial.

Purpose: Depression is a leading cause of disability. Although tooth loss increases the risk of depressive symptoms, it is unclear whether dental prosthesis use moderates this risk. This study aimed to investigate whether dental prosthesis use moderates the association between tooth loss and new depressive symptoms in older adults.

Tooth loss mediates the association between smoking and an increased risk of dementia among older adults: The JAGES prospective cohort study.

Aim: Tooth loss has various causes; however, its cause-specific effects on health outcomes remain unclear. This study evaluated whether the association between past/current smoking and risk of dementia was mediated by tooth loss.

Materials And Methods: This 9-year-follow-up prospective cohort study targeted adults aged ≥65 years.

Bivalent mRNA vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 among older adults in Japan: a test-negative study from the VENUS study.

Background: Bivalent COVID-19 vaccines have been implemented worldwide since the booster vaccination campaigns of autumn of 2022, but little is known about their effectiveness. Thus, this study holistically evaluated the effectiveness of bivalent vaccines against infection in older adults in Japan.

Methods: We adopted the test-negative design using COVID-19 test data of individuals, aged ≥ 65 years, residing in three municipalities in Japan, who underwent tests in medical institutions between October 1 and December 30, 2022.

Poor oral health and dementia risk under time-varying confounding: A cohort study based on marginal structural models.

Background: Bidirectional association between oral health, including tooth loss and oral hypofunction, and cognitive impairment can induce time-varying confounding in association with dementia. This study aimed to investigate the association between oral health and the development of dementia among older adults, considering cognitive impairment as a time-varying confounder.

Methods: This nine-year follow-up cohort study targeted independent older adults aged ≥65 years who participated in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study.

Oral Hypofunction and Risk of Weight Change among Independent Older Adults.

Oral health is essential for nutritional status; however, little is known about its association with weight change. This study aimed to investigate whether the risk of weight change differs according to the presence of each important component of oral hypofunction (fewer remaining teeth, low chewing efficiency, swallowing problems, and xerostomia) among independent older adults. This was a three-year follow-up cohort study based on self-reported questionnaires.

Association between dietary pattern and insomnia symptoms among independent older adults: A cross-sectional study based on JAGES.

Background: Poor diet can cause sleep disorders; however, this association has not been established in older populations. This study investigated the association between dietary patterns and insomnia symptoms in independent older adults.

Methods: This cross-sectional study targeted independent older Japanese adults aged ≥74 years.

Reduced number of teeth with and without dental prostheses and low frequency of laughter in older adults: Mediation by poor oral function.

Purpose: Laughter is expected to have health-protective effects, but the potential link between tooth loss and laughter remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between tooth loss and a low frequency of laughter among older adults in Japan, to elucidate whether this association could be mitigated by dental prostheses, and to evaluate the magnitude of the association mediated by poor oral function.

Methods: We used cross-sectional data from 157,708 functionally independent participants aged ≥65 years (46.

Does online communication mitigate the association between a decrease in face-to-face communication and laughter during the COVID-19 pandemic? A cross-sectional study from JACSIS study.

Laughter has a protective effect on human health. The spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has changed opportunities for face-to-face communication and might decrease opportunities for laughter. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate whether the decrease in face-to-face communication during the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with a decrease in laughter.

Cooking skills modify the association between oral health and mortality.

Poor oral health has been linked to an increased risk of mortality. People with good cooking skills may be able to cope with problems caused by oral dysfunction, such as restricted food choice. This study investigated whether cooking skills modified the association between oral health status and mortality.

Effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against infection in Japan: A test-negative study from the VENUS study.

Background: Although the effectiveness of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines is a crucial public health concern, evidence from Western Pacific countries is limited, including Japan. This study aimed to estimate the COVID-19 vaccines effectiveness (VE) against infection during the Delta variant predominance (July-September 2021) in Japan.

Methods: We performed a test-negative study using COVID-19 test data of ≥20-year-old residents in four municipalities who were tested in medical institutions between July 1 and September 30, 2021.

Compliance Trajectory and Patterns of COVID-19 Preventive Measures, Japan, 2020-2022.

COVID-19 remains a global health threat. Compliance with nonpharmaceutical interventions is essential because of limited effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, emergence of highly contagious variants, and declining COVID-19 antibody titers over time. We evaluated compliance with 14 nonpharmaceutical intervention-related COVID-19 preventive behaviors, including mask wearing, ventilation, and surface sanitation, in a longitudinal study in Japan using 4 waves of Internet survey data obtained during 2020-2022.

Dental prosthesis use is associated with higher protein intake among older adults with tooth loss.

Background: Tooth loss is associated with reduced protein intake, which leads to sarcopenia and frailty in older adults.

Objective: To evaluate the protective effect of dental prostheses on decreased protein intake in older adults with tooth loss.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was based on a self-reported questionnaire targeting older adults.