Risk factors for oral frailty among community-dwelling pre-frail older adults in Japan: A cross-sectional analysis

Oral frailty is a well-established risk factor for frailty and plays a significant role in progression to frailty. However, the association between oral frailty and pre-frailty in elderly individuals remains unclear. This cross-sectional study aimed to clarify the characteristics and risk factors of pre-frailty in elderly individuals with oral frailty.

A total of 377 elderly individuals participated. Oral examinations comprised simple and non-invasive measures of chewing function, self-reported swallowing function, and oral moisture. The frailty screening index was used to assess frailty phenotypes.

The overall prevalence of pre-frailty was 63.1%, after excluding 40 frail and 99 robust individuals. The mean age of the pre-frail participants was 76.6 ± 5.8 years; 70.6% were women. 10.5% of the pre-frail elderly participants had oral frailty. In multivariate analysis diabetes mellitus, history of cancer, denture wearing, and malnutrition were independently associated with oral frailty among pre-frail elderly individuals (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 3.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-13.54; OR 4.5, CI 1.32-15.36; OR 8.8, CI 1.76-43.78; and OR 3.6, CI 1.30-9.67; respectively).

The prevalence of oral frailty was low among community-dwelling pre-frail elderly individuals. Early interventions involving oral, nutritional, and disease management may prevent or improve oral frailty in pre-frail elderly individuals and may prevent progression to frailty. Further studies are required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms.