Occlusal force in people in their sixties attending college for elderly.

The "8020" goal of retaining 20 or more teeth after the age of 80 necessitates investigating oral health status in people below the age of 80. The purpose of this study was to determine similarities and differences between people in their sixties attending college and achievers of the 8020 goal. The results of oral examination and occlusal force measurement in 46 students enrolled at a college for the elderly in Chiba City with an average age of 66.9 years (22 men, 24 women) were compared with data from previous surveys of fifty-two 8020 achievers (28 men, 24 women). Occlusal force was measured and evaluated using Dental Prescale (Fuji Photo Film Co., Tokyo). The average number of present teeth was 25.8, and no subjects showed anterior crossbite, comparable with findings in 8020 achievers. Average occlusal force was 942.9 + or - 440.1 N (1,029.6 + or - 545.9 N for men, 863.4 + or - 305.1 N for women), not significantly different from that in 8020 achievers. The results of multiple regression analysis suggest that occlusal force is unaffected by aging if many teeth are present.