Salutogenic factors that may enhance lifelong oral health in an elderly Japanese population.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess which factors affected the maintenance of more than 20 teeth in Japanese patients aged 80 years and older, using a life-course perspective.

Subjects And Methods: The oral examination was carried out by dentists. The questionnaire asked about family background, background during various stages of growing up, tooth brushing, snacking, job history, health examination, war experience, number of children, oral health condition and dietary preferences.

Relationship between survival rates and numbers of natural teeth in an elderly Japanese population.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess whether elderly people with 20 or more natural teeth were more likely to live longer than a cohort with less than 20 teeth.

Materials And Methods: Groups of elderly people over 80 years of age (24 males and 35 females) with 20 or more teeth (>or=20 group) were compared with elderly people (24 males and 35 females) with less than 20 teeth (<20 group). Follow-up studies were conducted at regular intervals for 10 years from July 1992 to July 2002.