The association of oral health status and oral health-related quality of life with malnutrition, sarcopenia, and frailty in older adults.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the associations between oral health status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL), malnutrition, sarcopenia risk, and frailty in individuals aged 65 years and older.

METHODS

In this cross-sectional observational study, 101 older adults (59.4% male) who presented to a dental health center were evaluated. Oral health was assessed using the Decayed, Missing, and Filled Teeth (DMFT) index, and OHRQoL by the 14-item Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14). Nutritional status, frailty, and sarcopenia risk were determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), and SARC-F, respectively.

RESULTS

Higher OHIP-14 and DMFT scores were significantly associated with lower educational level, unmarried status, and infrequent dental visits. Both scores were higher in those with malnutrition risk (p = 0.002 and 0.029) and frailty (p = 0.008 and 0.006) compared to those without. OHIP-14 score also positively correlated with SARC-F score and negatively correlated with body weight (all p < 0.05). The ROC curve analysis identified the best cutoff values of OHIP-14 score as ≥ 14 for predicting malnutrition risk (AUC: 0.681) and as ≥ 18 for frailty (AUC: 0.655), and the cutoff level of DMFT score as ≥ 19 for frailty (AUC: 0.659).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that oral health indicators might be significantly associated with malnutrition and sarcopenia risks, and frailty in older adults, underscoring the need to integrate oral health into comprehensive geriatric assessment and multidisciplinary care.