Association between masticatory movement and oral and physical function in healthy older women.

Purpose: This study examined the association between masticatory movement and oral and physical function in healthy older women using clinical assessments considering central motor control.

Methods: A total of 107 independent older women (mean age, 74.37 ± 4.46 years; age range, 66-84 years) living in the community participated in this cross-sectional study. The subjects selected were those aged 65 years or older with at least 28 teeth and without oral dysfunction, temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disease, cerebrovascular disease, or neuromuscular disease. The following items of oral and physical function were measured: masticatory path pattern, masticatory performance, oral diadochokinesis (ODK), tongue pressure, single-leg stance with eyes open (SLS), stepping test, and grip strength. Logistic regression analysis adjusting for age was performed to investigate the association between masticatory movement and other items.

Results: In total, 30.8% of subjects were classified into the abnormal group regarding masticatory path pattern, having a significantly lower value than that of the normal group in masticatory performance (unadjusted p = 0.021). After adjusting for age, the masticatory path pattern was significantly associated with masticatory performance ( p = 0.032); ODK /pa/ ( p < 0.001), /ta/ ( p = 0.022), and /ka/ ( p = 0.016); and stepping test ( p = 0.018). Tongue pressure, SLS, and grip strength were not significantly associated with masticatory path pattern.

Conclusion: Masticatory movement in older women was associated with masticatory performance, tongue and lip motor skills, and physical agility, which might be influenced by central motor control.