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. 2024 Jan 11;24(1):48.
doi: 10.1186/s12877-023-04605-7.

Oral frailty among dentate and edentate older adults in long-term care

Lina Julkunen  1 , Riitta Saarela  2 , Hanna-Maria Roitto  3   4   5 , Hannu Kautiainen  6   7 , Kaisu Pitkälä  8   9 , Päivi Mäntylä  10   11 , Kaija Hiltunen  12
Affiliations

Oral frailty among dentate and edentate older adults in long-term care

Lina Julkunen et al. BMC Geriatr. .

Abstract

Background: The objectives of this study were to compare oral frailty (OFr) among edentate and dentate older adults living in long-term care facilities (LTCF) and to clarify how edentulism and oral disease burden (ODB) of dentate older adults are associated with OFr.

Methods: The population of this study comprised 94 edentate and 209 dentate residents in LTCF in Helsinki, Finland, who had previously participated in a nutritional study. The participants underwent a clinical oral examination. The dentate residents were further divided into three ODB groups based on asymptotic dental score. The edentate and different ODB groups were compared with each other regarding demographics and oral and medical findings. OFr was defined as ≥ 2 of following: having a diet of soft/pureed food, residue of food in the oral cavity, inability to keep the mouth open during examination, unclearness of speech, dry mouth. The association between OFr and edentulousness and various levels of ODB was analyzed by a multivariate logistic model.

Results: Participants with low ODB had significantly less OFr than their edentate peers (p = 0.009). Furthermore, the edentate and dentate with high ODB had similar odds for OFr.

Conclusions: Edentulousness and high ODB are equally harmful conditions and may predispose to OFr. This study suggests that maintaining healthy natural teeth and good oral health (low ODB) may protect against OFr.

Trial registration: The Ethics Committee of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa approved the protocols for the nutritional status and oral healthcare studies and the merging of the data, including patient medical records (Register number HUS/968/2017).

Keywords: Edentulism; Long-term care; Older adults; Oral disease burden; Oral frailty; Oral health.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
(A) Adjusted relationship between oral frailty (OFr) and asymptotic dental score (ADS) as continuous variable (values 0–9) among dentate participants. The dotted line indicates OFr % among the edentate. (B) Age- and sex-adjusted odd ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for OFr of dentate participants’ oral disease burden (ODB) groups (I low, II moderate, and III high, defined by ADS) and presented with edentate participants (E) OR 1 as a reference. The estimates were derived from logistic regression models. Whiskers show 95% CIs.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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