Now, shall we review the results obtained in this “Survey on healthy degrees of vivid elderly persons” which triggered the paradigm changes of dental medicine leading me to recognize “Teeth are our organs”.First of all, I will explain the investigation methods. The subjects enrolled in the primary investigation were about 1800 elderly persons who belonged to 37 elderly clubs located in Kasuga city. Incidentally, the total population of this city amounted to 80,628 persons at that time. It is well known that 1800 persons as the subjects for investigation would be adequate for epidemiologic investigation. Out of these subjects, 86 healthy, vivid and vigorous elderly persons (58 males and 28 females) at ages from 65 to 79 years old without any subjective and objective diseases were selected by nurses with enough knowledge about local situations working for Department of Health, Kasuga city, with the cooperation of respective elderly clubs. This selection was conducted independently from healthy conditions of oral cavity. Then, detailed medical investigations were performed by internal physicians at the Health Science Center of Kyushu University whereby the persons suspected being affected by certain diseases with some abnormalities, the persons who took oral medicines within the past 3 months reaching 21 persons in total were excluded from the eligible subjects. Finally, 65 persons (44 males and 21 females, with the mean age of 71.3 years) were selected as the subjects for investigations. Figure 1 shows numbers of them according to gender and ages. In the sophisticated clinical laboratory tests and investigations, internal physicians, dental physicians, psychologists, exercise physiologists, food and nutrition scientists and health nurses carefully investigated physical and psychological health conditions of vivid elderly persons; what kinds of ways of thinking about health maintenance and way of life were held by vivid elderly persons; and life-style habits at presents, during younger generations and in the prime of manhood. In our dental fields, we carefully investigated residual conditions of teeth, dental caries, periodontal pocket as an index representing periodontal infection (alveolar pyorrhea), wobbling degree of teeth, conditions of dental occlusion, strength of dental occlusion, chewing ability, secretion amount of saliva and protein amount in saliva. Incidentally, the residual conditions of teeth in the subjects were nonbiased, indicating fair distribution from totally artificial teeth to more than 30 teeth remained (Figure 2). Such a nonbiased distribution permitted this study to be reputable. Dental examinations were performed in a certain spacious auditorium where the selected elderly subjects gathered together under the assistance with staff members working for Health Department of Kasuga city and health nurses. Several dentists examined the subjects one after another. Dentists were patient to investigate elderly men and women for a long time. While examining elderly persons, we, dentists made a funny bet. As stated above, the vivid elderly persons ranged from those with all artificial teeth to those with their own teeth. They were requested to come to the examination chair from the waiting bench but dentists could not know whether each of them has their own teeth or artificial teeth before they opened mouths. So, for a diversion, we bet each other that the next visitor would have his own teeth or artificial teeth before they came to us. Because of advanced current technologies on artificial teeth implantation, we could not correctly anticipate it initially according to local appearances around mouth or general impression such as complexion. However, after comparing 2 dozens ~ 3 dozens of subjects, we noted one interesting clue, that was “sexual charm”.To win the bet, all we had to do was to ask ourselves a question such as “Whether the next elderly person can enjoy romance if desired? or whether this person possesses sexual charm? , otherwise, “Whether the next person already graduated such a romantic stage?” When we started to evaluate the subjects from these criteria, our assumption came true. Through this bet, we have discovered the fact that the elderly persons with their own teeth have vividness and sexual charm. In this sense, the elderly persons without their own teeth were drowsy. They looked as if they were dead branches without beauty or sexual charm. Through these experiences, it was postulated that presence of own teeth possessed its significance and unknown functions which could not be identified by only outer appearances or superficial complexions but played a role in the dynamic worlds. While examining teeth of the subjects in the auditorium, concrete information about their teeth was available to us, indicating that our victory in bet was only based on our instinct; however, it was true that “sexual charm” played a significant role in them. Our discoveries in Kasuga city adequately provided us with some expectation and foresight, “Something unknown exists in teeth.” for the future outcomes to be obtained by data processing. However, if there are opposite findings obtained by this scientific etiological survey, I had a solid decision that was only in my heart, namely to discontinue the future activities in the field of preventive dentistry; as a natural consequence, my body was trembled by secret excitation during collating the examination results. The cross-road in my life was just around the corner.
■Figure 1Distribution of the number of vivid elderly persons by gender, and agesWhen ages were divided by 5 years from more than 65 years to less than 80 years, they were homogeneously distributed, indicating that the ratio of men was about 2 times higher than those of women.
■Figure 2
Distribution of the number of vivid elderly persons by residual teeth numbersFrom the persons without teeth to the persons with more than 30 residual teeth, the number of persons by each 10 teeth or 5 teeth was homogeneously distributed, indicating no bias.
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