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Oral Health Assessment by Lay Personnel for Older Adults
Published on: February 2, 2020
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Masticatory coefficient and physical functioning in older frail patients admitted for a Comprehensive Gerontological
Johann Harel1, Romain Fossaert1, Alain Bérard2
1Clinical Gerontology Department, CHU Bordeaux, 33000, Bordeaux, France.
Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics
|May 13, 2021
Summary
Reduced chewing ability (geriatric masticatory coefficient) in older adults is linked to poorer physical performance, even beyond malnutrition. Missing teeth may also affect posture, impacting mobility.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Oral Health
- Physical Performance
Background:
- Physical functioning can be compromised in frail older adults with missing teeth.
- This study investigated the link between masticatory function and physical performance in elderly patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between physical performance and the geriatric masticatory coefficient (GMC) in older adults.
- To understand if malnutrition fully explains the observed correlations.
Main Methods:
- Evaluated 256 patients using corrected GMC, posterior occluding pairs (POPs), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Timed Up and Go (TUG) test, and Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA).
- Analyzed correlations between GMC, POPs, and physical performance measures.
Main Results:
- Malnourished patients had a lower corrected GMC.
- Corrected GMC correlated with TUG time (r=-0.198, p=0.005) and SPPB score (r=0.282, p=0.009) after adjustments.
- GMC and POPs correlated with SPPB but not TUG results.
Conclusions:
- The link between reduced masticatory capacity and physical performance is not solely due to malnutrition in frail, multi-morbid patients.
- Missing teeth may impact posture, further affecting physical function.
- Further research on dental care's impact on physical performance is warranted.
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