Chengrui Zhang, Ying Xing, Wei Luan, Bin Chen
Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Nursing, Shanghai, China.
Shuguang Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of TCM, Shanghai, China.
BMC Oral Health. 2025 Apr 1;25(1):471. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-05795-9.
Population aging is increasing globally, with oral frailty affecting 24% of the older population. Previous studies have demonstrated the relationship between oral frailty and poor oral health symptoms but the interactions and core symptoms among these oral symptoms remain vague.
To clarify the relationship between oral frailty and oral symptoms, explore the intrinsic connections between these symptoms, and identify core symptoms to provide more effective management and treatment strategies for oral frailty and related health issues.
The study conducted a cross-sectional study from January 2024 to April 2024, included 547 participants using a convenient sampling method. The study adopted the Geriatric Self-Efficacy Scale for Oral Health (GSEOH), Oral Frailty Index-8, FRAIL scale, and oral symptoms, including the simplified oral hygiene index score (OHI-S), plaque index, periodontal pocket depth and gingival index, teeth numbers and tooth mobility index. T-test, Chi-Square test, Mann-Whitney test and binary logistic regression were used to explore the relationship between oral symptoms and oral frailty, and symptom network analysis and subgroup network analysis were used to explore the intrinsic connections between oral symptoms and identify core symptoms.
The study found that while teeth number and GSEOH were significantly associated with oral frailty (teeth number: β = -0.262, P = 0.013) (GSEOH: β = -0.056, P = 0.000), the centrality of teeth number and GSEOH was the lowest compared to other oral symptoms. oral hygiene status (CI-S and plaque index), and gingival index were the core symptoms in older adults, and gingival index was the strongest bridge node.
The study explored the relationship between oral symptoms and oral frailty using network analysis. The study recommended that communities implement routine oral functional assessments to increase the denture restoration rate and identify oral frailty at an early stage, as well as educational and promotional programs aimed at maintaining oral hygiene and function. Future research should further analyze the causal relationships between oral symptoms, particularly periodontal pocket depth, oral frailty, and overall frailty.
全球人口老龄化正在加剧，口腔脆弱影响着24%的老年人口。以往研究已证实口腔脆弱与不良口腔健康症状之间的关系，但这些口腔症状之间的相互作用和核心症状仍不明确。
阐明口腔脆弱与口腔症状之间的关系，探索这些症状之间的内在联系，并确定核心症状，以便为口腔脆弱及相关健康问题提供更有效的管理和治疗策略。
该研究于2024年1月至2024年4月进行了一项横断面研究，采用方便抽样法纳入547名参与者。该研究采用了老年人口腔健康自我效能量表（GSEOH）、口腔脆弱指数-8、衰弱量表以及口腔症状，包括简化口腔卫生指数评分（OHI-S）、菌斑指数、牙周袋深度和牙龈指数、牙齿数量和牙齿松动指数。采用t检验、卡方检验、曼-惠特尼检验和二元逻辑回归来探索口腔症状与口腔脆弱之间的关系，并采用症状网络分析和亚组网络分析来探索口腔症状之间的内在联系并确定核心症状。
研究发现，虽然牙齿数量和GSEOH与口腔脆弱显著相关（牙齿数量：β = -0.262，P = 0.013）（GSEOH：β = -0.056，P = 0.000），但与其他口腔症状相比，牙齿数量和GSEOH的中心性最低。口腔卫生状况（CI-S和菌斑指数）以及牙龈指数是老年人的核心症状，牙龈指数是最强的桥梁节点。
该研究采用网络分析方法探索了口腔症状与口腔脆弱之间的关系。该研究建议社区开展常规口腔功能评估，以提高义齿修复率并早期识别口腔脆弱，以及开展旨在保持口腔卫生和功能的教育及宣传项目。未来的研究应进一步分析口腔症状之间的因果关系，特别是牙周袋深度、口腔脆弱和整体脆弱之间的因果关系。
