歯の喪失、認知症の主要リスク因子に匹敵 ―口腔の健康維持が認知症予防の重要な戦略となる可能性―

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2026-11-05 東北大学

東北大学の研究グループは、歯の喪失が認知症発症に及ぼす影響を、他の主要な修正可能リスク因子と比較し、口腔の健康維持が認知症予防に重要である可能性を示した。研究では、日本の65歳以上の高齢者約4万7,000人を対象とした日本老年学的評価研究(JAGES)の9年間の追跡データを分析した。その結果、現在歯数が20本未満であることによる認知症発症の人口寄与割合(PAF)は7.2%と推計された。これは、抑うつ傾向(10.5%)、社会的孤立(9.4%)に次ぐ第3位であり、男性では12.0%と最も高かった。歯の喪失は、認知症の既知のリスク因子に匹敵する公衆衛生上重要な要因である可能性が示された。本研究は、歯科保健と認知症予防を結び付ける科学的根拠を提供し、高齢者の口腔機能維持や歯科保健施策の重要性を示すものである。ただし、人口寄与割合は観察データに基づく推計であり、歯の喪失を防げば認知症が同じ割合で減少することを直接証明したものではない。

歯の喪失、認知症の主要リスク因子に匹敵 ―口腔の健康維持が認知症予防の重要な戦略となる可能性―
図1. 13のリスク因子の認知症発症の人口寄与割合(PAF)

<関連情報>

口腔衛生と認知症の既知の修正可能な危険因子が人口に及ぼす影響の比較:9年間の人口ベースのコホート研究 Comparative Population Impact of Oral Health and Established Modifiable Risk Factors for Dementia: A 9-Year Population-Based Cohort Study

Maho Iwata,Taro Kusama PhD,Jun Aida PhD,Tatsuo Yamamoto PhD,Kokoro Shirai PhD,Ken Osaka PhD,Kenji Takeuchi PhD
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association  Available online: 2 November 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2026.106536

Abstract

Objectives
Poor oral health, particularly tooth loss, has been proposed as a risk factor for dementia; yet, its population-level contribution relative to established risk factors remains unclear. We aimed to compare the population attributable fractions (PAFs) of tooth loss with those of modifiable dementia risk factors identified by the 2024 Lancet Commission on Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and Care.

Design
A 9-year follow-up prospective cohort study from 2013 to 2022.

Setting and Participants
Functionally independent older adults aged ≥65 years living in 22 municipalities in Japan, who were free of dementia at baseline.

Methods
The outcome was dementia incidence, and the exposures included tooth loss and 12 modifiable risk factors identified by the Lancet Commission. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for sex, age, and equivalent income were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. PAFs for each risk factor were calculated using the HRs.

Results
A total of 47,293 participants were included (46.7% male). The mean age was 73.5 years (SD, 6.1). During a median follow-up of 9.0 years, 17.4% developed dementia. Compared with ≥20 teeth, dementia risk increased with fewer teeth: HR, 1.14 (95% CI, 1.08-1.21) for 10 to 19 teeth, HR, 1.12 (95% CI, 1.05-1.19) for 1 to 9 teeth, and HR, 1.27 (95% CI, 1.18-1.36) for 0 teeth. The PAF for tooth loss was 7.2%, ranking third among the 13 risk factors examined, following depressive symptoms (10.5%) and social isolation (9.4%). In men, tooth loss ranked first (12.0%).

Conclusions and Implications
Tooth loss accounted for a substantial proportion of dementia cases, comparable to major risk factors. These findings suggest oral health as a key dementia risk factor and support its inclusion in dementia prevention strategies.

医療・健康
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