Association Between Oral Frailty and Cognitive Impairment in Older Adults: A Cross-sectional Study

To analyse the relationship between oral frailty (OF) and cognitive impairment in older adults and explore the association between OF and different domains of cognitive function.

A total of 461 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years in Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, China were selected as the participants. The number of natural teeth, daily toothbrushing frequency and the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index scale for older adults were used to assess OF. Cognitive function was assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment scale.

The prevalence of OF was 33.4%. The prevalence of cognitive impairment was 65.7%. Compared with the non-OF group, the OF group was associated with a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment (OR = 1.959). Older adults with low oral function were associated with a higher likelihood of cognitive impairment. OF was significantly associated with cognitive impairment in older adults aged ≥80 years (OR = 2.468). OF was associated with 2 domains of cognitive function: visuospatial and executive function (OR = 0.532), language domain (OR = 0.821).

There is a correlation between OF and oral function and cognitive impairment in older adults in the community, and the association between OF and cognitive function is significant in older adults aged ≥80 years. OF in older adults was associated with worse screening performance in the domain of executive function and language function.

This cross-sectional study revealed the association between OF and cognitive function in community-dwelling older adults. The significance of this finding is not only to confirm the statistical association between oral and cognitive health, but also to suggest that oral and cognitive health dimensions, which are closely related but often managed separately, should be considered and synergistically promoted when designing community health intervention programs.