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Association of aging and tooth loss with masseter muscle characteristics: an ultrasonographic study

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Abstract

Objectives

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between aging and tooth loss on masseter muscle quantity and quality.

Materials and methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted among 112 participants (in their 20s to 90s) who were independent in activities of daily living and were able to follow verbal commands. Exclusion criteria comprised participants with a lack of molar occlusal support, diseases that could affect muscle function, or temporomandibular disorder. Age, tooth loss, and weight were documented, and masseter muscle thickness (MMT) and masseter muscle echo intensity (MMEI) were measured using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. A multiple regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between MMT, MMEI, aging, and tooth loss, among each sex. The significance level in the statistical analysis was p < 0.05.

Results

In males, aging was a significant explanatory variable for MMT (adjusted R2 = 0.27), while both aging and weight were significantly associated with MMEI (adjusted R2 = 0.54). In females, tooth loss and aging were significant explanatory variables for MMT (adjusted R2 = 0.36) and MMEI (adjusted R2 = 0.5), respectively. In both men and women, MMT and MMEI were highly correlated.

Conclusions

Masseter muscles in males were more likely to be attenuated by aging than in females. The main attenuation factors were observed to differ between MMT and MMEI in women.

Clinical relevance

In females, preservation of the natural dentition or prosthetic treatment may be effective for maintaining masseter muscle characteristics. In males, additional approaches, such as resistance exercise training, may be necessary.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Editage (http://www.editage.com) for editing and proofreading this manuscript for English language and all staff members and participants of the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Gerodontology and Oral Rehabilitation, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, 1-5-45 Yushima, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan

    Kohei Yamaguchi, Koji Hara, Kazuharu Nakagawa, Chizuru Namiki, Chantaramanee Ariya, Kanako Yoshimi, Ayako Nakane, Kazumasa Kubota, Junichi Furuya & Haruka Tohara

Authors
  1. Kohei Yamaguchi
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  2. Koji Hara
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  3. Kazuharu Nakagawa
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  5. Chantaramanee Ariya
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  6. Kanako Yoshimi
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  7. Ayako Nakane
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  8. Kazumasa Kubota
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  9. Junichi Furuya
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  10. Haruka Tohara
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Kohei Yamaguchi, Chizuru Namiki, and Chantaramanee Ariya. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Kohei Yamaguchi and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kohei Yamaguchi.

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Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee (Tokyo Medical and Dental University Ethics Committee [ref: D2014-047]) and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Yamaguchi, K., Hara, K., Nakagawa, K. et al. Association of aging and tooth loss with masseter muscle characteristics: an ultrasonographic study. Clin Oral Invest 24, 3881–3888 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-020-03255-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-020-03255-y

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