抄録
平均寿命は男性,女性とも世界の最高水準にあり,老化に伴う痴呆老人の問題,寝たきり老人の問題と諸問題が山積している.しかし老化や痴呆の実体は不明の点が多く,予防法や治療法も手探りの状態という現状で,咀1爵と老化との関連性を知るために,老人病院に入院中の高齢者を対象に,全身状態調査では,痴呆度,罹患疾病,視力・聴力を,顎口腔診査では,DMF数,最大咬合力,残存顎堤高,義歯使用度,使用義歯の不満項目を,心理的要因調査では配偶者・友人・趣味の有無について調査,診査を行い検討した.
In order to clarify the relationship between mastication and senility, 87 senior patients over 65 years old (78.5 on average) hospitalized in senile hospitals were studied on the progress of dementia, diseases, eye sight and hearing acuity gener'ally, on DMF index, maximum biting force, height of rest of alveolar ridge, frequency of denturc; use, complaints about present denture and on the precence/absence of spouse, frientds and hobbies psychogenicly. The results were obtained as follows. 1. The most frequent disease at senile hospitals where many patients had been long hospitalized was disease of bones and joints such as osteoarthritis and osteoperosis. The second most one was disease of circulatory system, such as hypertension, cerbrovasucular disease and heart disese. 47% patients were diagnosed senilia. 2. The study showed that the progressed senility reduced the number of residual teeth, the use of denture and the maximum biting force. 3. Among psychological factors which seem to enhance the senility, the survival rate of spouses 1owerec[ as the senility of the patients progressed. The rate in the dementia group was about 173 of that in the normal group.
