Oral Functions Are Associated with Muscle Strength and Physical Performance in Old-Old Japanese.

Yuki Murotani,Yusuke Mihara,Yoshinobu Maeda,Tatsuro Ishizaki,Mai Kabayama,Yukie Masui,Kazunori Ikebe,Paula Moynihan,Hiromasa Hagino,Suzuna Akema,Yasuyuki Gondo,Soshiro Ogata,Kei Kamide,Kodai Hatta,Motoyoshi Fukutake,Kõtarõ Higashi ,H Togawa ,Toyomi Takahashi ,Yoshiyuki Nishimura ,Ken‐Ichi Matsuda

doi:10.3390/ijerph182413199

Abstract

Grip strength and walking speed are considered to be important indicators of physical frailty. However, no study has contemporaneously examined any association of multiple oral functions with grip strength and walking speed. The purpose of this study was to examine which oral functions are associated with muscle strength (grip strength), physical performance (walking speed) or both. The study participants were 511 community-dwelling people (254 men and 257 women) aged 77–81 years old. Six oral functions—oral wetness, occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, tongue pressure, masticatory performance and swallowing function—were measured. Grip strength and walking speed were also measured. A partial correlation analysis, adjusted for gender, showed that occlusal force, tongue-lip motor function, masticatory performance and swallowing function were significantly associated with both grip strength and walking speed. In addition, tongue pressure was significantly associated with grip strength. A general linear model showed that tongue pressure and occlusal force were significantly associated with grip strength. Swallowing function and tongue-lip motor function were significantly associated with walking speed. It is suggested that there are different oral function measures for muscle strength and physical performance, and these oral function measures could be a useful proxy for physical frailty.

Highlights

Grip strength and walking speed are considered to be important indicators of physical decline for older people to live independently [1,2,3]
This study investigated the associations of oral functions with muscle strength and physical performance in community-dwelling older Japanese
The result showed that occlusal force and tongue pressure were significantly associated with grip strength

Summary

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to examine which oral functions are associated with muscle strength, physical performance The purpose of this study was to examine which oral functions are associated with muscle strength, physical performance or both and the relative size and strength of any associations in old-old Japanese

Results

Discussion

Conclusion