Oral Health as a Predictor of Physical Frailty among Rural Community-Dwelling Elderly in an Agricultural County of Taiwan: A Cross-Sectional Study

We conducted a cross-sectional study to clarify the relationship between oral health and physical frailty (PF). A sample of 903 community-dwelling individuals aged >= 65 years were enrolled from random communities in Chiayi County. The self-perceived oral health (SPOH) and oral health assessment tool (OHAT), which consists of eight items, was used for the evaluation of their oral health status. PF was assessed based on the Study of Osteoporotic Fracture index. Overall, 14.6% of the participants had PF. In an adjusted model, restricted food types (odds ratio (OR) = 1.59, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.2-2.09, p = 0.001), self-reported dental status (OR = 1.61, 95% CI: 1.2-2.15, p = 0.001), number of teeth (OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.96-0.99, p = 0.006), frequency of tooth cleaning (OR = 0.83, 95% CI: 0.68-1.0, p = 0.049), OHAT score (OR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.02-1.17, p < 0.017), and saliva items of OHAT (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.11-2.1, p = 0.010) were significantly associated with PF. SPOH is a crucial indicator of PF; longitudinal analyses are necessary to understand the underlying pathway of risk factors for frailty onset.

Automated summary

This study clarified the relationship between oral health and physical frailty, finding that restricted food types, self-reported dental status, number of teeth, tooth cleaning frequency, OHAT score, and saliva items were significantly associated with physical frailty. Longitudinal analyses are needed to further understand the risk factors for frailty onset.