Factors related to subjective evaluation of difficulty in chewing among community-dwelling older adults.

AIM: Awareness of difficulty chewing may limit the diversity of food intake in older adults. However, few studies have clarified which factors are related to subjective difficulty in chewing. The aim was to identify factors related to subjective difficulty in chewing in 70- and 80-year-old Japanese older adults. METHODS: A total of 1680 participants (792 men, 888 women) were surveyed. Difficulty in chewing was assessed with questionnaires regarding food intake, such as rice, apples, beef, and hard rice crackers. The participants were classified into two groups, the "with difficulty" group (participants who answered "cannot eat," "can eat with difficulty," and "can eat if small") and the "without difficulty" group (participants who answered "can eat without problems"), according to their answers to questionnaires for each food. A logistic regression analysis with subjective difficulty in chewing as the dependent variable was performed for each food. RESULTS: Subjective difficulty in chewing was associated with age, occlusal force, and depression for rice; age, number of remaining teeth, occlusal force, and depression for apples; number of remaining teeth, occlusal force, and depression for beef; and number of remaining teeth and occlusal force for hard rice crackers. CONCLUSIONS: Age, number of remaining teeth, and occlusal force, as well as depression, might be related to subjective evaluation of difficulty chewing in community-dwelling Japanese older adults. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; 24: 327-333.

The relationship between changes in occlusal support and masticatory performance using 6-year longitudinal data from the SONIC study.

OBJECTIVES: Reduced occlusal support is thought to be related to a decline in masticatory performance. However, previous research in this field was based on cross-sectional studies. In this study, we conducted a 6-year longitudinal observation of older adults living in the community and examined the associations of changes in occlusal support with masticatory performance. METHODS: Of the 864 participants aged 72-74 years in the SONIC study, 488 who were followed up (median follow-up period 5.92 years) and had no missing data were included in this study. Participants were divided into three groups according to the number of occlusal support zones in the posterior area: Complete occlusion (four zones), Reduced occlusion (one to three zones), and Collapsed occlusion (no occlusal support zone). Longitudinal analysis of the relationship between occlusal support and masticatory performance was undertaken with linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS: Sex, occlusal force, number of unreplaced missing teeth, aging, and occlusal support change were significantly related to masticatory performance. Furthermore, the interaction term between change in occlusal support and aging was a significant explanatory variable for the decline in masticatory performance. The interaction was strongest in the group that changed from Complete or Reduced occlusion to Collapsed occlusion. This result indicates that the loss of occlusal support is a major factor contributing to declining masticatory performance. CONCLUSIONS: The decline of occlusal support was greatly associated with the deterioration of masticatory performance. Our results suggest that older adults need to prevent the collapse of posterior occlusal support to maintain their masticatory performance. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Occlusal support is important for preserving masticatory performance in older adults. Preventing the loss of molars and retaining occlusal support may contribute to maintaining food intake diversity and nutritional status, thereby improving quality of life. Dental professionals need to carefully examine dental status to assess the risk of occlusal collapse.

Use of the Profunda Femoris Artery Perforator Flap for Reconstruction after Sarcoma Resection.

Soft tissue sarcomas are rare neoplasms that can occur on any part of the body. The operative position for the resection is determined depending on the site of the soft tissue sarcomas; intraoperative repositioning may be needed for reconstruction. We present the profunda femoris artery perforator (PAP) flap harvest technique (wherein the flap can be used in any position), and suggest that the PAP flap transfer can eliminate the need for intraoperative repositioning. METHODS: From December 2018 to January 2020, 7 patients with an average age of 68 years underwent reconstructions using a PAP flap after wide resection of STS. The mean defect size was 11.3 × 16.5 cm (range, 5.5-25 × 11-26 cm). The location of the defects was the medial thigh in 2 patients, the posterior thigh in 1, the popliteal fossa in 1, the groin in 1, and the buttock in 2. The PAP flap was elevated in the supine "frog-leg" position, the prone position, the jack-knife position, or the lateral "crisscross" position; the lateral decubitus position with the donor lower extremity on the bottom. RESULTS: Of the 7 cases, the operations were performed in the supine "frog-leg" position in 3 cases, the prone position in 2 cases, the jack-knife position in 1 case, and the lateral "crisscross" position in 1 case. There were no intraoperative position changes in all cases. The mean size of the PAP flap was 8.7 × 19.9 cm (range, 6-11 × 17-24 cm). One patient had donor site dehiscence, which was treated conservatively. The PAP flaps survived completely in all cases. The mean follow-up period was 10.5 months (range, 6-17 months). CONCLUSION: Since the PAP flap elevation is feasible in every position, the PAP flap can be considered a versatile reconstruction option after sarcoma resection.