Occlusal support is associated with nutritional improvement and recovery of physical function in patients recovering from hip fracture.

Abstract

This study aimed to elucidate the association between occlusal support and nutritional improvement and recovery of activities of daily living (ADLs) among elderly patients recovering from hip fracture. Many patients with hip fracture are malnourished, and malnutrition is associated with poor functional outcomes. Poor oral status is one reason for malnutrition because loss of occlusal support leads to masticatory disorders and can cause nutrient deficiencies. We evaluated 202 elderly patients aged 65years and older (mean age, 84.9±7.9years). We assessed nutritional status using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form and ADLs using functional independence measure (FIM) scores. Occlusal support was recorded in accordance with the Eichner Index. We categorised participants into two groups according to the presence or absence of occlusal support, and statistical analyses were performed to investigate the differences between the groups. One group contained 152 participants (mean age, 85.5±7.4years) with occlusal support, and the other group contained 50 participants (mean age, 83.0±8.9years) without occlusal support. The group with occlusal support had greater gain of FIM and higher FIM efficiency than did the other group. Multivariate analyses showed that occlusal support was independently associated with nutritional improvement [odds ratio (OR)=4.00, 95% confidence intervals (CI)=1.90-8.43] and motor FIM efficiency (R2 =.338, P<.001). Our findings suggest that occlusal support is associated with nutritional improvement and the recovery of ADLs in patients recovering from hip fracture.