Social determinants of denture/bridge use: Japan gerontological evaluation study project cross-sectional study in older Japanese

摘要

Background Studies suggest that using a denture/bridge may prevent disability in older people. However, not all older people with few remaining teeth use a denture/bridge. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the social determinants which promote denture/bridge use among older Japanese. Methods A total of 54,388 (25,630 males and 28,758 females) community-dwelling individuals aged 65 or over, living independently, able to perform daily activities, and with 19 or fewer teeth. The dependent variable was denture/bridge use. Socio-demographics, number of teeth, present illness, social participation, social support, and social networks were used as individual-level independent variables. Data for social capital were aggregated and used as local district (n?=?561 for males, n?=?562 for females) -level independent variables. Number of dentists working in hospitals/clinics per population and population density were used as municipality (n?=?28) -level independent variables. Three-level multilevel Poisson regression analysis was performed for each sex. Results High equivalent income, low number of teeth, present illness, and living in a municipality with high population density were significantly associated with denture/bridge use in both sexes in the fully adjusted models (p?p? Conclusions Denture/bridge use was significantly associated with high economic status and present illness in both sexes, high educational attainment in males, and participation in social groups in females among community-dwelling older Japanese after adjusting for possible confounders.