Association between subjective chewing conditions and dietary habits in Japanese workers

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies on the elderly have reported that they avoid fiber-rich and hard foods in favor of softer foods as chewing ability declines. However, evidence of worker chewing conditions and dietary habits is scarce. This study aimed to clarify the association between chewing conditions and dietary habits in workers. METHODS: The subjects included 6,703 workers (45.6 ± 10.2 years, range 18-64 years) who underwent medical and dental check-ups from April 2018 to March 2019 with no missing data. We classified workers into two groups, those with good chewing conditions (GCC) and those with poor chewing conditions (PCC) according to their responses to the chewing condition item in our questionnaire. We performed logistic regression analysis using the questionnaire dietary habits item response as the objective variable and chewing conditions as the explanatory variable and adjusting for sex, age, number of present teeth, periodontal pocket depth, oral hygiene status, Body Mass Index, smoking habits, alcohol intake, exercise habits, history of present illness, and stages of transtheoretical model. Additionally, we performed subgroup analysis using a similar framework stratified by sex and age groups (under 40 or older). RESULTS: We found significant negative associations with PCC for the following dietary habits (p < .05): Awareness of balanced diet; Regular consumption of dark green and deep yellow vegetables; Eating slowly and chewing well; Frequent consumption of seaweed and small fish; Having three meals at almost at the same time every day; Having breakfast almost every day; Eating protein dishes with every meal; Frequently consuming dairy products; Finishing eating at least two hours before bedtime. Furthermore, we found significant positive associations with PCC for the following items (p