Effect of Different Types of Teeth on Chewing Ability

Methods: Subjects were 666 elderly, aged between 55 and 89.They were divided into 4 groups according to their teeth types; edentulous (Eden), complete denture (CD), natural with replaced teeth (NRT) and natural teeth group (NT). Biting, chewing and swallowing problems in each group were assessed using a face-to-face interview performed by trained interviewers. Data was analysed by descriptive statistics and Chi square test.

Results: 40.5, 34.8, and 46.4% of subjects who were edentate reported high problems on biting, chewing, and swallowing respectively. Corresponded proportion of subjects in CD group, NRT group, and NT group were 3.7, 3.7. 0.5; 3.8, 3.1, 3.1; and 3.1, 1.9, 0.6 percents. It was demonstrated that biting, chewing, and swallowing problems were different significantly across the four groups. Using odds ratio, edentulous elderly were 7.8, 5.2, 3.9 times more likely to have biting, chewing, and swallowing difficulties than those who had natural teeth.

Conclusion: The study showed that older people who wore some types of dentures had less problems regarding chewing ability compared to those who were edentate.