Association Between Oral Health and the Medical Costs of Dementia: A Longitudinal Study of Older Japanese

Objective: Oral health status may be associated with dementia, which in turn results in higher medical costs among older people. Methods: This STUDY enrolled 4,275 older individuals. Generalized linear models were constructed with the medical costs of dementia as the dependent variable, and number of teeth, Community Periodontal Index (CPI), and other factors as independent variables. Results: Individuals with fewer teeth or with poor periodontal condition had significantly higher medical costs ratios for dementia independent of other confounding variables. The adjusted medical costs ratios of dementia were 4.13 (95% CI [confidence interval]; 1.79–9.56) for those with ≤9 teeth compared with those with ≥20 teeth and 3.48 (95% CI; 1.71–7.08) for those with personal CPI code 4 compared with those with personal CPI code 0–2. Conclusions: Oral health status was associated with the medical costs of dementia. Preventing tooth loss and maintaining periodontal health may contribute to controlling dementia costs.