B. Everaars, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Research Group Innovations in Preventive Care, Heidelberglaan 7, 3512 CS, Utrecht, The Netherlands, Email:
J Frailty Aging. 2021;10(1):56-62. doi: 10.14283/jfa.2020.55.
In frail older people with natural teeth factors like polypharmacy, reduced salivary flow, a decrease of oral self-care, general healthcare issues, and a decrease in dental care utilization contribute to an increased risk for oral complications. On the other hand, oral morbidity may have a negative impact on frailty.
This study explored associations between oral health and two frailty measures in community-dwelling older people.
A cross-sectional study.
The study was carried out in a Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) in The Netherlands.
Of the 5,816 persons registered in the PHC, 1,814 persons were eligible for participation at the start of the study.
Two frailty measures were used: 1. Being at risk for frailty, using Electronical Medical Record (EMR) data, and: 2. Survey-based frailty using 'The Groningen Frailty Indicator' (GFI). For oral health measures, dental-record data (dental care utilization, dental status, and oral health information) and self-reported oral problems were recorded. Univariate regression analyses were applied to determine the association between oral health and frailty, followed by age- and sex-adjusted multivariate logistic regressions.
In total 1,202 community-dwelling older people were included in the study, 45% were male and the mean age was 73 years (SD=8). Of all participants, 53% was at risk for frailty (638/1,202), and 19% was frail based on the GFI (222/1,202). A dental emergency visit (Odds Ratio (OR)= 2.0, 95% Confidence Interval (CI)=1.33;3.02 and OR=1.58, 95% CI=1.00;2.49), experiencing oral problems (OR=2.07, 95% CI=1.52;2.81 and OR=2.87, 95% CI= 2.07;3.99), and making dietary adaptations (OR=2.66, 95% CI=1.31;5.41 and OR=5.49, 95% CI= 3.01;10.01) were associated with being at risk for frailty and survey-based frailty respectively.
A dental emergency visit and self-reported oral health problems are associated with frailty irrespective of the approach to its measurement. Healthcare professionals should be aware of the associations of oral health and frailty in daily practice.
在体弱的老年人中，多种药物治疗、唾液流量减少、口腔自我保健减少、一般医疗保健问题以及牙科保健利用率下降等因素都会增加口腔并发症的风险。另一方面，口腔发病可能对虚弱有负面影响。
本研究旨在探讨社区居住的老年人的口腔健康与两种虚弱测量指标之间的关联。
横断面研究。
本研究在荷兰的一家初级保健中心（PHC）进行。
在 PHC 登记的 5816 人中，有 1814 人符合研究开始时的参与条件。
使用电子病历（EMR）数据评估两种虚弱测量方法：1. 处于虚弱风险中，以及 2. 使用“格罗宁根虚弱指标”（GFI）进行基于调查的虚弱评估。对于口腔健康测量，记录了牙科记录数据（牙科保健利用率、牙齿状况和口腔健康信息）和自我报告的口腔问题。应用单变量回归分析确定口腔健康与虚弱之间的关联，然后进行年龄和性别调整的多变量逻辑回归。
共纳入 1202 名社区居住的老年人，其中 45%为男性，平均年龄为 73 岁（标准差=8）。在所有参与者中，53%（638/1202）处于虚弱风险中，19%（222/1202）根据 GFI 被评估为虚弱。急诊牙科就诊（优势比（OR）=2.0，95%置信区间（CI）=1.33；3.02 和 OR=1.58，95% CI=1.00；2.49）、出现口腔问题（OR=2.07，95% CI=1.52；2.81 和 OR=2.87，95% CI=2.07；3.99）和饮食适应（OR=2.66，95% CI=1.31；5.41 和 OR=5.49，95% CI=3.01；10.01）与处于虚弱风险和基于调查的虚弱分别相关。
急诊牙科就诊和自我报告的口腔健康问题与虚弱有关，无论采用何种方法评估虚弱。医疗保健专业人员应在日常实践中意识到口腔健康与虚弱之间的关联。
