The Hidden Cost Of Missing Natural Teeth For Older Singaporeans | Talking Point
By CNA Insider
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Steven Chia turns 55 next year, and he still has 24 of his teeth. Many Singaporeans his age won’t: 44% of those aged 55 and above have fewer than 20 teeth, and by 80, that figure climbs to 91%. To find out what having less than 20 teeth feels like, Steven has a dental device custom-made to simulate having just 16 teeth, then sits down for a meal with three seniors who have lived with this condition for years. Tooth loss goes well beyond the mouth. Fewer than 20 teeth is linked to malnutrition, muscle loss and dementia — and a new National Dental Centre and Duke-NUS study finds that keeping 20 or more natural teeth is worth more than five extra years of independent living at 60. Steven meets a geriatric dentist, a dietitian and a geriatrician, and then boards a mobile dental clinic at a nursing home to see up close, how bad the situation can get. But is losing teeth just a part of getting old? And what are we doing about it? National Dental Centre Singapore has launched an 8020 Ora
Tags: CNA Insider, Channel NewsAsia, People stories, Asian perspectives
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