Better Oral Health for a Longer Life
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- Published: Monday, 12 January 2026 10:02
- Written by Peter Ingle
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Fresh evidence to support this message has come in the form of two separate large-scale studies by researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University and the Institute of Science Tokyo, which concluded that poor oral health among older adults is closely linked to higher mortality rates and a higher risk of requiring long-term care.
With Japan known for its superaging society, those wishing to live longer may want to pay close attention.
According the The Japan Times, the researchers analysed dental examination data from 190,282 residents of Osaka Prefecture aged 75 and older, having check-ups from 2018 to 2020.
Investigation of the relationship between dental condition and all-cause mortality showed that death rates were lower among people with a higher number of healthy or treated teeth, but those with untreated cavities faced increased risks.
One impressive figure was that older adults with no remaining teeth had a mortality risk about 1.7 times higher than those with 21 or more teeth. One possible explanation offered was that this might be due to reduced chewing ability contributing to chronic inflammation.
Counting healthy and treated teeth was the most accurate way to predict all-cause mortality, rather than including untreated teeth, or counting only healthy teeth.
The findings are part of a broader epidemiological effort using large-scale real-world data from dental check-ups and long-term care records in Osaka Prefecture. Researchers said the results could help refine how oral health is assessed in older adults and be used as an indicator of future health risks.
This study builds on Japan’s long-running “8020 Campaign,” which encourages people to retain at least 20 of their own teeth at age 80. There has been major progress over the last 35 years with just 10% of subjects achieving this when it began in 1989, rising to 61.5% by July 2025.
“We hope that this is an opportunity to use the results of this study to help promote early treatment and regular dental care,” said Naoko Otsuki, the lecturer who led the study.
The analysis by researchers at the Institute of Science Tokyo, led by professor Jun Aida, examined the impact of a decline in oral function (oral frailty) on healthy life expectancy. Using nationwide data from 11,080 older adults tracked over six years, the team analysed links between oral health, dental visits and transitions to disability or death.
Oral frailty was defined as having three or more symptoms, from: few remaining teeth, difficulty chewing or swallowing, dry mouth, and difficulty speaking. These declines are known to reduce food intake, physical strength and social interaction, and can all accelerate health deterioration among older adults.
Those with oral frailty had a 1.23 times higher risk of requiring long-term care and a 1.34 times higher risk of death compared with those without the condition.
The researchers were able to calculate the “added years” gained by better dental health, with a healthy life expectancy at age 65 being about 1.4 to 1.5 years shorter for people with oral frailty. Those with regular dental care regularly had a healthy life expectancy that was about one year longer on average, the study found.
The Tokyo researchers stated that going forward it will be important to develop policies to promote the prevention of oral frailty, encourage regular dental visits, and strengthen community-based oral health activities.
They also emphasized the need to further strengthen cooperation between dental care and medical care and to build a system that supports healthy old age.
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