Association among oral health, social participation, and higher-level functional capacity in Japanese older people

Maintaining a high level of functional ability, which is essential for independent living in older adults, is influenced by social participation. Oral health has been associated with higher-level functional ability; however, whether social participation is related to this association remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association among oral health, higher-level functional ability, and social participation.

This cross-sectional study included 154 participants aged ≥65 years (mean age: 82.6 ± 5.5 years) in an underpopulated area. Higher-level functional ability was assessed using the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence. Oral health was evaluated based on the number of teeth present, occlusal status, and swallowing function. Social participation was measured by the number of participants in social groups, such as sports groups, neighborhood groups, senior citizen clubs, hobby groups, learning and culture clubs, and other types of groups.

After adjusting for age, sex, nutritional status, comorbidities, drug use, cognitive decline, mental health status, marital status, educational level, and going outside, Poisson analysis showed that the number of teeth present was positively associated with higher-level functional ability (B = 0.006, P = 0.026). Inclusion of social participation as a covariate attenuated this association (B = 0.005, P = 0.089). Occupational status and swallowing function were not associated with higher-level functional ability.

These findings suggest that the number of teeth present is associated with higher-level functional ability and that social participation might affect this association.