Confounding Factors Linked to Having a Physician and/or Dentist and Healthy Longevity in Elderly Residents

Objectives: Significant attention should be given to healthy longevity in a country like Japan. This research aims to clarify the confounding factors between hav-ing a physician and/or dentist and healthy longevity. Methods: In September 2001, 16,462 elderly people aged 65 to 84. Residents of suburban Tokyo received a self-administered questionnaire by mail. The cohort survey was conducted three times. From the third year in 2004, the survival of 8162 individuals was tracked, confirming the death dates of 278 men and 160 women. Their bedridden status was verified three years later. Covariance structure analysis was utilized to clarify the causal structure of the hypothetical model with latent variables. Results: The direct impact of ⌈Physician and/or Dentists⌋ (⌈⌋ denotes observed variable) on “Healthy Longevity” (“” denotes latent variable), which correlates with both survival days and bedridden status, was nearly zero. By reducing ⌈Treated Diseases⌋ through the use of recommended "Lifestyle and Diet Scores” and “Three Health Factors” based on favorable “Socioeconomic Status,” residents found it easier to trust a family dentist instead of a physician, as their connection to maintaining “Healthy Longevity” became clear. Sixty-eight percent of “Healthy Longevity” was explained in the final model. This study clarified the confounding factors related to the role of family dentists and healthy longevity. Conclusions: In new health support initiatives aimed at encouraging healthy longevity, it is important to consider socioeconomic status as a foundation for reducing diseases that can be addressed through positive lifestyle habits and mental, physical, and social well-being, rather than solely relying on the idea that just having a family dentist leads to healthy longevity. By helping to reduce treatable diseases, the demand for family physicians is expected to decrease, while the emphasis on preventive dental care is anticipated to increase.