The Association of Chewing Ability and Diet in Elderly Complete Denture Patients

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between chewing ability and diet among elderly edentulous patients whose dentures were funded by the Department of Health in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. A cluster sample of 103 elderly edentulous subjects 65 years and older (68 men, 35 women) was gathered randomly and assessed through use of a questionnaire. The responses to queries regarding demographics, health, and chewing capabilities were correlated with dietary guidelines for the five basic food groups. Chi-square test analysis revealed that subjects with chewing difficulty consumed fewer vegetables. Only 17% of the total subject pool consumed the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vegetables. Approximately 58% of subjects reported dissatisfaction with their dentures and 51% reported discomfort on chewing. Approximately 4% of the subjects met the RDA standards for all five food groups and 4% did not meet the RDA standards for any of the five food groups. Patient satisfaction with the comfort of their denture during mastication significantly impacted the diet of these elderly edentulous patients.