Oral hypofunction and malnutrition among community-dwelling older adults: Evidence from the Otassha study.

Abstract

This study investigated the association between oral hypofunction and malnutrition among community-dwelling older adults. Oral hypofunction, a 7-component phenotype of the clinical features of oral health, has been described in Japan. Data about its association with nutritional status are limited. This cross-sectional study enrolled 715 adults (mean age, 73.5years; range, 65-91years) from the Otassha Study. Oral hypofunction was defined as the presence of ≥3 of the following 7 components: poor oral hygiene; oral dryness; low occlusal force; low articulatory oral motor skill; low tongue pressure; low masticatory performance; and compromised swallowing function. The Mini Nutritional Assessment® -Short Form (MNA® -SF) was used to assess the nutritional status. Malnutrition was defined as having an MNA® -SF score of seven or less. The association between oral hypofunction and nutritional status was evaluated using ordinal logistic regression analyses. The prevalence rates of oral hypofunction and malnutrition were 42.7% and 4.1%, respectively. Multivariable Poisson regression analyses revealed that oral hypofunction was associated with malnutrition. The adjusted relative risk of malnutrition in the study participants with oral hypofunction was 3.00 with a 95% confidence interval of 1.29-6.98. Community-dwelling older adults whose oral functions were compromised in multiple aspects had poor nutritional status.