Frontiers in dental medicine · 2026
The polypharmacy-xerostomia-nutrition triad: the clinical framework for older adults.
СтатьяОбзорНазвание и аннотация: Перевод в очереди
Обработка статьи · этапы, ошибки и управление
Загрузка состояния…
Ошибки и ограничения
История · было → стало
Состояние обновляется каждые 5 секунд, пока блок открыт. Процент показывается только там, где известен объём работы. Пауза останавливает продолжение этапа; текущий запрос к источнику может завершиться.
Lowenstein Adam, Singh Mabi L, Papas Athena
Аннотация
BACKGROUND: Polypharmacy, the concurrent use of five or more medications, affects the majority of community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older in the United States. A clinically underrecognized consequence is medication-induced xerostomia and salivary hypofunction, which critically impair oral function, food selection, and nutritional status.
OBJECTIVE: This mini-review synthesizes mechanistic and clinical evidence linking polypharmacy-induced xerostomia to nutritional decline in older adults and proposes a clinical framework for integrated dental-medical screening.
METHODS: A narrative review of English-language peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2025 was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases. Studies examining xerogenic medication burden, salivary function, masticatory performance, dietary intake, and nutritional biomarkers in adults aged 60 and older were included.
RESULTS: Xerogenic medications, including diuretics, antihypertensives, antidepressants, antihistamines, and anticholinergics, are highly prevalent in older adults and exert dose-dependent suppression of salivary flow via anticholinergic, aquaporin-disrupting, and sympatholytic mechanisms. Salivary hypofunction impairs bolus formation, swallowing efficiency, and gustatory function, driving avoidance of fibrous and nutrient-dense foods. This dietary shift is associated with protein-energy malnutrition, sarcopenia, and micronutrient deficiencies. Socioeconomic and structural disparities amplify nutritional risk among low-income and minority older adults.
CONCLUSION: The polypharmacy-xerostomia-nutrition triad represents a tractable but systematically under-addressed pathway to preventable malnutrition and functional decline. Interprofessional screening, patient-centered salivary management strategies, and expanded dental benefit coverage are urgently needed.
OBJECTIVE: This mini-review synthesizes mechanistic and clinical evidence linking polypharmacy-induced xerostomia to nutritional decline in older adults and proposes a clinical framework for integrated dental-medical screening.
METHODS: A narrative review of English-language peer-reviewed literature published between 2000 and 2025 was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases. Studies examining xerogenic medication burden, salivary function, masticatory performance, dietary intake, and nutritional biomarkers in adults aged 60 and older were included.
RESULTS: Xerogenic medications, including diuretics, antihypertensives, antidepressants, antihistamines, and anticholinergics, are highly prevalent in older adults and exert dose-dependent suppression of salivary flow via anticholinergic, aquaporin-disrupting, and sympatholytic mechanisms. Salivary hypofunction impairs bolus formation, swallowing efficiency, and gustatory function, driving avoidance of fibrous and nutrient-dense foods. This dietary shift is associated with protein-energy malnutrition, sarcopenia, and micronutrient deficiencies. Socioeconomic and structural disparities amplify nutritional risk among low-income and minority older adults.
CONCLUSION: The polypharmacy-xerostomia-nutrition triad represents a tractable but systematically under-addressed pathway to preventable malnutrition and functional decline. Interprofessional screening, patient-centered salivary management strategies, and expanded dental benefit coverage are urgently needed.