Association between oral health status and handgrip strength in older Korean adults

Poor oral conditions in older adults are not limited to oral problems, which lead to physical problems. Prior research insufficiently has probed the relationship between oral health and physical function. This study investigated the relationship between oral health status and grip strength in older adults living in the community.

This study used data from the 2014-2018 Korean National Health and Nutrition Survey. Oral health status was assessed by the type of dental prosthesis, the number of teeth. Grip strength was determined as the highest value among the three consecutive measurements of the dominant hand. The covariates included age, income, education, alcohol drinking, smoking, body mass index, sedentary time, comorbidity and number of caries teeth. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the association between oral health status and grip strength.

Data on 6,437 older adults (men 2766; women 3671) were analyzed. The mean age was 72.9 ± 0.1 years. In the crude model of logistic regression analysis, both men and women had an association between full denture use and low grip strength compared to high grip strength. After controlling for covariates, the remaining 0-9 teeth was associated with low grip strength compared to high grip strength in men [odds ratio (OR) = 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.88]. The use of full dentures was also associated with low grip strength compared to high grip strength in men (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.09-1.98). No significant associations were found in women.

Low handgrip strength was associated with using full dentures and remaining 0-9 teeth in older men. Low grip strength, one of the key characteristics of sarcopenia and frailty, may serve as an important indicator of poor oral health, especially among men in late life.