Eur J Nutr. 2024 Nov 13;64(1):2. doi: 10.1007/s00394-024-03521-9.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The potential association between oral health and nutritional status of the very old, has been poorly investigated. Thus, we carried out the cross-sectional study to evaluate the association of oral health with the nutritional status of the older adults.
METHODS: 210 participants aged over 75 years were included in the study. Nutritional status was assessed by the Short-form Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF) and body composition measurement. Data were available for self-reported oral health (10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10) and Chewing Function Questionnaire (CFQ)) and specific experimental tests including salivary flow, tongue and lip pressure, occlusal force, water swallow test and taste test for the detection of oral functions. Spearman rank correlation was used to analyze the correlation between body composition and oral health. Logistic regression and restricted cubic spline models were applied to examine the association of oral health with malnutrition.
RESULTS: The study reveals that poor oral health is related to the malnutrition. The tongue pressure and molar occlusal force were significantly associated with malnutrition in an L-shaped dose-response relationship after adjustment for potential confounding factors. The higher the tongue pressure and molar occlusal force, the lower the risk of malnutrition. Besides, the CFQ score, salty, sour, and bitter taste, are risk factors for malnutrition.
CONCLUSIONS: The presence of malnutrition is significantly associated with poor oral health in older adults. Our study supposes that the design of food suitable for oral conditions of the older adults may be another feasible solution to the nutritional problems among them.
PMID:39535606 | DOI:10.1007/s00394-024-03521-9
