Functional tooth number and 15‐year mortality in a cohort of community‐residing older people

Background: To study how dental status can become a predictor of overall mortality risk. Methods: Community residents (n = 5730) over 40 years old in the Miyako Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan were followed up for 15 years, 1987–2002. Functional tooth numbers were examined by dentists and overall mortalities of subjects with functional tooth numbers of <10 and ≥10 were compared in the age groups 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, 70–79 and 80 years or more in both males and females. Results: Groups of 80 years or more showed a significantly higher rate of overall mortality in subjects with functional tooth numbers of less than 10 than 10 or more, and there was no significant difference in the other age groups. Conclusion: The present study suggests that systemic attention to dental status should be recommended in older males.