Self-perception of chewing ability in elderly

INTRODUCTION: Chewing plays an important role in food preparation and maintenance of muscle activity required for other functions of the stomatognathic system. In the elderly, this function may change due to structural, morphological and biochemical alterations. OBJECTIVE: To study the chewing ability in elderly listing the difficulties during mastication. METHODS: Observational cross-sectional study of elderly aged 60 years or older, receiving outpatient care at a university hospital. Data collection was conducted through a questionnaire containing questions regarding the power of the elderly and their chewing ability process. For purposes of comparison between some items of the protocol and chewing ability, the latter variable was dichotomized as "satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory". For these analyzes, Fisher's exact test was used, considering the significance level of 5%. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 30 participants with a mean age of 74.4 years (+9.1). There was high tooth loss, reflected in the high rate of elderly users of prostheses. Concerning the difficulties mentioned about chewing, 46.7% were unable to eat any food, 50% felt the need to drink fluids during meals; and foods that represented major difficulties in chewing were: meat (53.3%), fruits and raw vegetables (46.7%) and cereals (40%). Regarding self-perceived chewing ability, 53.3% said satisfactory and 46.6% unsatisfactory. There was a statistically significant relationship between "self-perceived chewing ability" and food associated with difficult chewing (p≤0.001). CONCLUSION: The self-reported chewing ability was mostly satisfactory and the hardest solid foods had greater difficulty in chewing.