Asia Pacific Allen Ming-Lun Hsu: Preparation for Healthy Aging starts with Good Oral Health

亞太牙醫教育學會許明倫：老齡化後的健康從良好的口腔健康開始做準備

According to World Health Organization, Taiwanese people over 65 years old already accounted for 14% of the population 2 years ago, which means Taiwan had entered the stage of aged society by 2018. Taiwan Advanced Cultural Association (TACA) has collaborated with Association for Dental Education, Asia Pacific and Centre of Mastication and Deglutition from National Yang-Ming University School of Dentistry to advocate “Healthy Aging from Oral Health” to raise public awareness to prevent dementia and other related diseases, as well as calling public to join “the group of early preventive measures” to keep senior life healthy.

Taiwan is on track to become a super-aged society in 2025, as people 65 and over are likely to exceed 20 percent of the total population, similar to Japan, South Korea, Germany and Italy. Meanwhile, topics such as long-term care, longevity and senior wellness have become popular issues among the public. In 2025, long-term care will require an annual cost of over NT$80 billion, making aging a compelling issue for both the country and its people as they face the impending burden of the social cost and medical expenditure caused by population aging.

22-Year Longitudinal U.S. Study Finds that Chewing Ability is the Key to Preventing Aging

Aging Journal, a bio-medical journal covering research on all aspects of gerontology, has shown the investigation of effect of poor chewing ability on cognitive changes and dementia risk in 544 seniors, that were followed up to 22 years. It can be found that the degree of masticatory ability is positively correlated with a faster age-related decline in spatial/fluid abilities. In order to resist four elderly threats: dementia, disability, neurocognitive disorder, and aspiration pneumonia, people should work to reduce the frequency of four threats to maintain healthy life through four approaches: maintaining a balanced diet, improving oral hygiene, performing oral exercises, and chewing sugar-free gum. Hence, chairman of Association for Dental Education, Asia Pacific Allen Ming-Lun Hsu points out “Prevention is better than cure, better chewing ability can increase cell viability of brain and slow the rate of reduction of blood oxygen in the orbitofrontal cortex simultaneously; moreover, chewing ability is linked to lower likelihood of degraded cognitive function, which means a lower risk of dementia. Therefore, living a healthy and quality senior life cannot be without oral health because oral health is the key to maintaining overall health.”

What You Eat is Key, Train Your Chewing Ability with Healthy Eating and Auxiliary Tools

Senior health has long been an area of concern for TACA Director Kobe Chih, who believes that the dilemma concerning our aging society will only continue to worsen, and can even be considered a “national crisis”! Industry, government, and academic cooperation, in addition to the collective efforts of the Taiwanese people, will be necessary to cope with this predicament. This year, TACA will continue to collaborate with the Group of Mastication and Deglutition from the National Yang-Ming University School of Dentistry to advocate the importance of proper oral care to the public in their endeavor to improve senior health care in Taiwan.

Balanced nutrition is also key to maintaining good health. Seniors and adults alike should begin taking care of their oral and dental health as soon as possible and practice oral and dental cleaning after meals to prevent premature dementia. Director Chih reminds seniors to consume healthy foods other than those that are soft or liquid, such as walnuts, edamame, etc., in order to maintain their chewing ability. Training masticatory muscles is similar to exercising limbs or core muscles and should be continuously practiced from adolescence. Sugar-free gum can also be chewed occasionally as a convenient and effective auxiliary exercise for masticatory muscles. The recommended duration is 10-15 minutes; it is not necessary to chew for a prolonged period of time.

Promote Dental Health by Performing 3-Minute “Oral Exercises” 3 Times a Day

The Group of Mastication and Deglutition from the National Yang-Ming University School of Dentistry has specially designed a set of “oral exercises” to help the public improve their chewing ability. These exercises can be conducted during one’s commute or spare time as a convenient way of training masticatory muscles, as well as preventing coughing and maintaining saliva secretion and swallowing function. Professor Allen Hsu also mentions, “Recently, many foreign studies have found that individuals with poorer chewing ability often have lower cognitive function and are more prone to depression and other emotional issues, which may increase their risk of dementia.” He also asserts, “The concept of oral exercises is similar to that of ‘Kegel exercises’, and is intended to help maintain masticatory function. As long as these exercises are completed three times a day for three minutes each time, they can help reduce the risk of dementia and memory loss. Aging is not something you need to be afraid of, healthy aging is the way to go. If you want to enjoy a healthy and sustainable life in your later years, then start from oral exercises!”