Relationship between mental health and chewing discomfort in older adults

Objectives: This study used secondary data from the 2021 Community Health Survey to identify the impact of dysphagia on mental health-related characteristics among older adults, selecting 73,970 individuals aged 65 years and older. Methods: Frequency analysis, χ2-test, and multiple logistic regression were conducted to identify risk factors affecting mental health-related characteristics among older adults. Results: Dysphagia was most common among individuals with the following demographic characteristics: female, aged 85 years and older, three-generation household and household income in the 1st quintile. Chewing discomfort according to mental health-related characteristics was higher in older adults with cognitive impairment and depression. Sex, age, education level, household income, and chewing discomfort were significant for cognitive impairment, whereas sex, age, household type, education level, household income, and chewing discomfort were significant for depression. Conclusions: The above results confirmed that chewing discomfort contributes to mental health issues such as cognitive impairment and depression. It is therefore necessary to recognize chewing discomfort as an important health problem affecting the mental health of older adults, and to develop a multifaceted dental hygiene approach to target community-dwelling older adults who suffer from chewing discomfort.