Evaluation of chewing ability and its relationship with activities of daily living, depression, cognitive status and food intake in the community-dwelling elderly

Aim The aim of this study was to assess chewing ability using color‐changeable chewing gum and to show the association between chewing ability and geriatric functions, as well as dietary status in the community‐dwelling elderly. Methods The study population consisted of 269 community‐dwelling elderly aged ≥75 living in Tosa, Japan. Assessment of chewing ability was carried out by a dentist using color‐changeable chewing gum. Activities of daily living (ADL), depression and subjective quality of life (QOL) were assessed by questionnaire. Cognitive status was assessed by; Mini‐Mental State Examination (MMSE), Hasegawa Dementia Scale‐Revised (HDS‐R) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) during the check‐up. Food diversity was assessed using the 11‐item Food Diversity Score Kyoto (FDSK‐11). Results Number of teeth was significantly related to chewing ability (P