Age related impairments in ingestion from a large population based-sample

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Oral Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Limited epidemiological data exists on age-related changes in mastication and swallowing.
• Oral function decline can significantly affect nutrition, health, and quality of life in aging populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe age-related changes in oral function using a large French population dataset.
• To validate online self-report International Classification of Functioning (ICF) questionnaires for older adults.
• To investigate associations between oral function impairment, food avoidance, xerostomia, BMI, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL).

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from 39,597 internet-accessing volunteers aged 18+.
• Assessed oral function using ICF-derived items related to ingestion and activities.
• Validated online questionnaires for chewing ability and salivary flow in older participants.

Main Results:

• Prevalence of impaired ingestion function, oral activity, and poor OHRQoL significantly increased with age (p < 0.001).
• Chewing and biting impairments affected 21.5% and 13.5% of the population, respectively.
• All ICF items were significantly associated with OHRQoL, xerostomia index, BMI, and food avoidance (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• Oral function impairment, including chewing and biting difficulties, is prevalent and increases with age.
• These impairments are linked to reduced quality of life, dry mouth, higher BMI, and food avoidance.
• Findings underscore the need for interventions and further research into frailty and international comparisons.