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

Objective This study investigated the association between oral hypofunction and malnutrition among community-dwelling older adults. Background 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. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional study enrolled 715 adults (mean age, 73.5 years; range, 65-91 years) 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(R)-Short Form (MNA(R)-SF) was used to assess the nutritional status. Malnutrition was defined as having an MNA(R)-SF score of seven or less. The association between oral hypofunction and nutritional status was evaluated using ordinal logistic regression analyses. Results 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. Conclusion Community-dwelling older adults whose oral functions were compromised in multiple aspects had poor nutritional status.