Language：Japanese   Publisher：Japanese Society of Gerodontology  

<p>　Japan has one of the worldʼs highest rates of population aging. Therefore, it is necessary for dentists to acquire a broad understanding of older adults. They are also required to learn to interact with older adults through gerodontology clinical practice and homebound dentistry practice. However, several students could not receive such training due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate changes in attitudes toward older adults and the self-assessment of knowledge in dentistry among older adults before and after clinical practice in gerodontology from 2019 to 2021. The study used a questionnaire on required competencies, consisting of behavioral and achievement goals for older adults and the Japanese version of the Attitudes Towards the Elderly（ATE）, which represents emotional attitudes toward older adults. The results demonstrate that students self-rated their abilities more positively after clinical practice and homebound dentistry practice than before（p<0.01）. Attitudes toward older adults also changed more favorably（p=0.012）. However, when comparing the amount of change in each survey item based on experience of home-based dentistry practice and the duration of interruption of clinical practice, no statistically significant differences were observed between the groups. This study showed changes in attitudes toward older adults and self-evaluation of required competencies through clinical practice. The evaluation of changes in attitudes toward older adults and self-evaluation of knowledge in gerodontology may help to confirm the effectiveness of training in gerodontology and to improve the content of future education.</p>

DOI： 10.11259/jsg.39.3_162

CiNii Research

Language：English   Publisher：BMC Geriatrics  

Background: Increase in functional disability in aging societies is an international medical and public health issue. Masticatory function may be a potential risk factor for functional disability, but the role of frailty in the association has not been clarified. Methods: Forty thousand five hundred sixty-two community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years and over who were insured by public health insurance as of April 2018 were followed up for a median of 3.0 years. Masticatory function was categorized as good, moderate, or poor based on a self-reported questionnaire. The development of functional disability was defined as a new certification of the need for long-term care. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: During the follow-up period, 1,397 individuals experienced functional disability. After adjusting for age, sex, comorbidities, medical history, and lifestyle behaviors, the HR for incident functional disability was significantly higher in the moderate and poor groups compared to the good group (moderate, HR 1.21 [95% CI, 1.07–1.37]; poor, HR 1.64 [95% CI, 1.03–2.62]). However, after additional adjustment for frailty-related factors—namely, underweight, regular exercise, and gait speed—the association was attenuated in both the moderate group (HR 1.06 [95% CI, 0.94–1.21]) and the poor group (HR 1.51 [95% CI, 0.94–2.41]). Conclusions: Masticatory dysfunction was significantly associated with incident functional disability in a community-dwelling older Japanese population. Our findings suggest that masticatory dysfunction may be a surrogate of frailty rather than a direct cause of functional disability.

DOI： 10.1186/s12877-024-05131-w

Web of Science

Scopus

PubMed

Language：English   Publisher：Japan Epidemiological Association  

<p><b>Background:</b> The association between chronic lipopolysaccharide exposure and the development of metabolic syndrome (MetS) is unclear. In this study we examined the association between serum lipopolysaccharide-binding protein (LBP) levels, an indicator of lipopolysaccharide exposure, and the development of MetS in a general Japanese population.</p><p><b>Methods:</b> 1,869 community-dwelling Japanese individuals aged ≥40 years without MetS at baseline examination in 2002–2003 were followed up by repeated examination in 2007–2008. MetS was defined according to the Japanese criteria. Serum LBP levels were classified into quartiles (quartiles 1–4: 2.20–9.56, 9.57–10.78, 10.79–12.18, and 12.19–24.34 µg/mL, respectively). Odds ratios (ORs) for developing MetS were calculated using a logistic regression model.</p><p><b>Results:</b> At the follow-up survey, 159 participants had developed MetS. Higher serum LBP levels were associated with greater risk of developing MetS after multivariable adjustment for age, sex, smoking, drinking, and exercise habits (OR [95% confidence interval] for quartiles 1–4: 1.00 [reference], 2.92 [1.59–5.37], 3.48 [1.91–6.35], and 3.86 [2.12–7.03], respectively; <i>P</i> for trend <0.001). After additional adjustment for homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, this association was attenuated but remained significant (<i>P</i> for trend = 0.007). On the other hand, no significant association was observed after additional adjustment for serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (<i>P</i> for trend = 0.07).</p><p><b>Conclusion:</b> In the general Japanese population, our findings suggest that higher serum LBP levels are associated with elevated risk of developing MetS. Low-grade endotoxemia could play a role in the development of MetS through systemic chronic inflammation and insulin resistance.</p>

DOI： 10.2188/jea.je20220232

Web of Science

Scopus

PubMed

CiNii Research

Language：English   Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)  

DOI： https://doi.org/10.37737/ace.24002

Language：English   Publisher：Society for Clinical Epidemiology  

<p><b>BACKGROUND</b></p><p>The Fukuoka-City Information Platform for Community-based Integrated Care is an advanced big data platform that aggregates information on the health and medical services of Fukuoka citizens. Fukuoka City is engaged in a joint project with Kyushu University to promote policy making through a large-scale real-world data analysis. This paper describes the framework for this cooperative effort and the features of the analytical platform.</p><p><b>METHODS</b></p><p>Fukuoka City is the fifth most populous ordinance-designated city in Japan, with an estimated population of approximately 1.6 million. Under an agreement with Fukuoka City, Kyushu University was granted access to a portion of the city’s anonymized healthcare database as secondary-use information. The database contains information on resident registration, health insurance claims, specific health checkups and health checkups for the older adults, specific health guidance, long-term care insurance data, and cancer screenings collected after fiscal year 2012. Each of these constituent datasets can be interlinked using anonymized hashed key variables, allowing individuals to be followed across databases and over time.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b></p><p>The platform allows longitudinal investigation of the complex association between various aspects of healthcare, such as medical procedures, examinations, interviews, medical costs, long-term care certifications, and care costs. The platform can provide valuable public-health information because it is relatively large for a single database, and because it allows analysis of data across multiple domains and tracing of individuals over time.</p>

DOI： 10.37737/ace.24002

PubMed

CiNii Research

Event date： 2025.3

Event date： 2024.12

Event date： 2024.9

Event date： 2024.4

Language：Japanese  

Country：Japan  

Event date： 2024.4

Language：Japanese  

Country：Japan