Japanische Forscher finden heraus, dass Zahnhygiene der Schlüssel zur Vorhersage der Sterblichkeit ist
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/05/japan/science-health/elderly-dental-hygiene/
Japanische Forscher finden heraus, dass Zahnhygiene der Schlüssel zur Vorhersage der Sterblichkeit ist
https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/05/japan/science-health/elderly-dental-hygiene/
37 Kommentare
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Here is the text from this paywalled article:
**Older adults with no remaining teeth had a mortality risk about 1.7 times higher than those with 21 or more teeth, according to Japanese researchers.**
By Jessica Speed
Poor oral health among older adults is closely linked to higher mortality rates and a higher risk of requiring long-term care, according to two separate large-scale studies by researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University and the Institute of Science Tokyo.
A research team led by Osaka Metropolitan University analyzed dental checkup data from 190,282 residents of Osaka Prefecture age 75 or older who underwent examinations from fiscal 2018 to 2020.
The study examined the relationship between dental condition and all-cause mortality (deaths linked to any cause), and found that death rates were lower among people with a higher number of healthy or treated teeth, while those with untreated cavities faced increased risks.
Older adults with no remaining teeth had a mortality risk about 1.7 times higher than those with 21 or more teeth, according to the study. The researchers suggested that this may be because untreated tooth decay can impair chewing ability and contribute to chronic inflammation, which can affect nutrition and overall physical health.
The analysis also showed that counting healthy and treated teeth was the most accurate way to predict all-cause mortality, outperforming measures that included untreated teeth, or counting only healthy teeth.
The findings were published online in November in the international journal BMC Oral Health, and are part of a broader epidemiological effort using large-scale real-world data from dental checkups and long-term care records in Osaka Prefecture. Researchers said the results could help refine how oral health is assessed in older adults and used as an indicator of future health risks.
The study builds on Japan’s long-running “8020 Campaign,” which encourages people to retain at least 20 of their own teeth by age 80. Achievement rates for the campaign reached 61.5% as of July, up from around 10% when it began in 1989.
“We hope that this is an opportunity to use the results of this study to help promote early treatment and regular dental care,” said Naoko Otsuki, the lecturer who led the study.
Separately, researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo, led by professor Jun Aida, have recently examined the impact of oral frailty — a decline in oral function — on healthy life expectancy. Using nationwide data from 11,080 older adults tracked over six years, the team analyzed links between oral health, dental visits, and transitions to disability or death.
In the study, oral frailty was defined as having three or more symptoms, including few remaining teeth, difficulty chewing or swallowing, dry mouth, or difficulty speaking. Such declines are known to reduce food intake, physical strength, and social interaction, all of which can accelerate health deterioration among older adults.
People with oral frailty had a 1.23 times higher risk of requiring long-term care and a 1.34 times higher risk of death compared with those without the condition. Healthy life expectancy at age 65 was about 1.4 to 1.5 years shorter for people with oral frailty, while those who visited the dentist regularly had a healthy life expectancy roughly one year longer on average, the study found.
The Tokyo researchers stated that going forward, it will be important to develop policies to promote the prevention of oral frailty, encourage regular dental visits, and strengthen community-based oral health activities. They also emphasized the need to further strengthen cooperation between dental care and medical care and to build a system that supports healthy old age in Japan’s superaging society.
Couldn’t poor dental hygiene also be a symptom instead of a cause? I’d not be surprised if a person who doesn’t do that much with dental care also tends to lack in other parts of self care.
You need teeth to live a long time. Got it.
Didn’t Japan just invent adult tooth regrowth or did I imagine that?
I thought the title said “morality” and I thought “oh damn maybe I should brush my teeth more.” Then I saw what it actually said and thought “eh. Nevermind.” And now I have to figure out why I had that reaction.
Much to think about.
So the rules of the Redneck Life board game actually do apply to real life?
But yeah this ties in with other studies showing a link between dental health and cardiac and GI issues. Maybe it can be used to push insurance coverage for dental issues as not being a separate entity from the rest of our health, just because of some ancient feud between old timey dentists and doctors.
> The study builds on Japan’s long-running “8020 Campaign,” which encourages people to retain at least 20 of their own teeth by age 80. Achievement rates for the campaign reached 61.5% as of July, up from around 10% when it began in 1989.
I am scared to see what are the results in my area…
Phew. Close call. We don’t live that long!
That is actually really interesting campaign, very forward looking.
I imagine that in general this may be the case, but my father’s dental hygiene was non-existent and he died at 96 with no sign of cognitive decline.
He knew he should brush his teeth, but he did not like to do it so he didn’t. In the last years of his life he lost some teeth.
I know people say brush twice but I’d say THRICE a week
My uncle had many brothers and sisters… all died before the age of 70. He is the last one living and is almost 90. One thing different about him is he had all his teeth removed in his thirties and had removable dentures ever since. I’ve always thought that’s what’s keeping him alive so long.
Dental healthcare being separate from regular healthcare in the U.S. is a deliberate crime against humanity.
Well… come to think of it, conditions like depression and ADHD can make taking care of one’s self difficult. Conditions that alter cortisol levels are very bad for your lifespan. Yeah you can get sick if you don’t keep up with oral hygiene but lacking hygiene is usually a sign of mental illness and it will be one of the first signs this person might not be eating well too. Appetite affects our heath outcomes too.
https://nursing.nyu.edu/w/news/press-release/tooth-loss-associated-increased-cognitive-impairment-dementia
This reminds me of an earlier study that talks about how tooth loss is associated with increased cognitive impairment.
I’ve had dentures since age 31. I wonder how much my life expectancy is affected.
Isn’t this just new research supporting old facts? We have known for some time that poor dental hygiene is closely tied to poor heart and G.I. health… but it’s largely co-relative, ie someone with poor GI and cardiac health is also likely going to have bad teeth from the lifetime of terrible eating they had.
While genetics do play an important role in dental health, we can also see that somebody at 30 years old with a plethora of decay has likely done that to themselves in some capacity – which is going to impact their long-term cardiac health, among other systemic health issues.
This is also true for pets. In the past I had a cat who had stubborn plaque buildup on her teeth and I didn’t want to pay for teeth cleaning. She died of what was most likely a massive heart attack that was brought on by congestive heart failure. I should have realized something was wrong when she started to get a little chonky and she slowed down a few years before.
If you can afford to, make sure you get your pets teeth cleaned.
A friend of mine recently told me that one of the partners at his law firm pondered aloud that “people who own horses live longer, isn’t that odd?”
Glad I got back on track with my dental work/cleanings. For many years I was terrified of the dentist, due to severe trauma but I scared myself straight a few years ago when I realized that it can impact your brain and heart.
If you want to rapidly get a bunch of dudes to brush their teeth, inform them that twice a day minimum can help their weiner work better.
Yet in the US, dental isn’t covered by health insurance.
This isn’t anything new. I work at an insurer and we see dramatically different incidence on LTD/STD/Life products (disability and life) for people who also have Dental coverage with us AND utilize it a recommended level. Those who have dental coverage but do NOT utilize it have higher mortality.
Basically, oral hygiene is highly correlated with mortality, not only because it can affect health when poor, but because you’re most likely to be taking care of other parts of your body.
This has been known for decades.
Maybe the actual study makes it clearer than the article, but are they positing a causative link between poor oral hygiene and higher mortality, or just showing that there’s a correlation? I would think that poor oral hygiene would indicate that a person also neglects other aspects of their health that might contribute to higher mortality, not necessarily as a direct result of poor oral hygiene, in which case addressing that one specific problem might not have much impact.
good thing we don’t consider it part of primary health insurance for our luxury bones, what a scam
Causation vs correlation…? Really sounds like that applies here.
This is exactly why you always, *always* look a gift horse in the mouth.
A few days ago I saw an article that showed that a lot more heart attacks were caused by bacterial growth than previously thought, and a lot of those bacteria are oral, I wonder if these are related.
My boyfriends family have lost almost all their teeth, never brush, don’t get any exercise, and they all live forever (well into their 90s)
The article says the presence of healthy teeth was more indicative than the absence of teeth or presence of untreated teeth. Which is interesting.
The article also posits that the lack of healthy teeth may cause a rise in mortality due to poor nutrition and things related to eating.
But I have to suggest the following that maybe the study wasn’t able to address:
1. The lack of healthy teeth may be a reflection of a lack of personal healthcare, either due to lack of resources, accessibility, or desire. You might not be maintaining your body as a whole, is the point I’m making. Not working out. Not keeping clean. Not forming social bonds. Etc. etc.
2. It would be curious to see how dental implants affected this study’s assumptions. I assume today’s elderly do not have many dental implants, but tomorrow’s elderly will have more and more.
3. Dental implants may or may not be a reflection of my first point: adherence to self-care.
I would go on a guess and say that this is another case of “correlation <> causation”. Dental hygiene here just shows that someone takes care of their body and are probably also likely to control the intake of sugars, processed food, etc.
Correct me if I am wrong. But isn’t poor dental hygiene also a symptom rather than a cause.
Like if you are wealthy or if you live in a place with good accessible and affordable medical care, you will have both better dental hygiene and better mortality.
Conversely, if you cannot afford regular dental care there is a high chance you also can’t afford routine tests and quality healthcare. Which would have a much larger impact on your mortality.
Not so sure about how applicable that prediction is. My grandmother had dentures for as long as I could remember, and also smoked like a chimney, yet lived to be almost 90.
The article didn’t mention if wisdom tooth removal counts towards your losses…. Are we to assume it does?
I assume it’s sugar. I cut sugar and stopped getting cavities + gingivitis cleared. Coincidentally all my other health problems went away too.
A dirty mouth will populate your gut with bad bacteria
Brush twice a day and floss once a day….simple.
Causation. Those with better health are able to maintain their teeth easier.