Effect of New Complete Dentures and Simple Dietary Advice on Cognitive Screening Test among Edentulous Older Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), including memory loss, has been attracting attention in Japan. This study assessed the effect of new complete dentures provision alone and with dietary intervention on cognitive functions assessed using the Japanese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA-J). A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 70 older adults who required new complete dentures. The participants had new complete dentures fabricated and were randomly classified into the intervention or control group. The intervention group received simple dietary advice, and the control group only received denture care advice. Cognitive function was assessed using the MoCA-J before and at 3 and 6 months after treatment. The between-group comparison and within-group comparison were analyzed. No significant differences were reported for comparisons between the intervention and control groups. A significant increase was revealed in the within-group comparisons for the total scores between the 3- and 6-month assessments (p = 0.002) and between the baseline and 6-month assessments (p = 0.012) in the intervention group. In the control group, a significant increase in the total scores was not revealed between any of evaluation period. Complete denture replacement combined with simple dietary intervention may help improve MoCA-J scores in edentulous older adults.