The relationship between masticatory ability, age, and dental and prosthodontic status in an institutionalized elderly dentate population in Qingdao, China.

For institutionalized elderly, having less than ten natural teeth in each jaw is associated with chewing problems. Most important dentition factor is the presence of three to four premolar pairs. Teeth added by partial removable dental prostheses compensate impaired masticatory ability due to tooth loss for 50% compared to natural teeth.