The Relationship of Oral Health with Progression of Physical Frailty among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study Composed of Two Cohorts of Older Adults from the United Kingdom and United States

Rachel Kimble; A Olia Papacosta; Lucy T Lennon; Peter H Whincup; Robert J Weyant; John C Mathers; S Goya Wannamethee; Sheena E Ramsay

doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2022.11.022

The Relationship of Oral Health with Progression of Physical Frailty among Older Adults: A Longitudinal Study Composed of Two Cohorts of Older Adults from the United Kingdom and United States

J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2023 Apr;24(4):468-474.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2022.11.022. Epub 2022 Dec 28.

Authors

Rachel Kimble¹, A Olia Papacosta², Lucy T Lennon², Peter H Whincup³, Robert J Weyant⁴, John C Mathers⁵, S Goya Wannamethee², Sheena E Ramsay⁵

Affiliations

¹ Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK; Division of Sport and Exercise Science, School of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of Scotland, Blantyre, UK. Electronic address: rachel.kimble@newcastle.ac.uk.
² Department of Primary Care and Population Health, UCL, London, UK.
³ Population Health Research Institute, St George's, University of London, London, UK.
⁴ Department of Dental Public Health, School of Dental Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
⁵ Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the prospective associations between oral health and progression of physical frailty in older adults.

Design: Prospective analysis.

Setting and participants: Data are from the British Regional Heart Study (BRHS) comprising 2137 men aged 71 to 92 years from 24 British towns and the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (HABC) Study of 3075 men and women aged 70 to 79 years.

Methods: Oral health markers included denture use, tooth count, periodontal disease, self-rated oral health, dry mouth, and perceived difficulty eating. Physical frailty progression after ∼8 years follow-up was determined based on 2 scoring tools: the Fried frailty phenotype (for physical frailty) and the Gill index (for severe frailty). Logistic regression models were conducted to examine the associations between oral health markers and progression to frailty and severe frailty, adjusted for sociodemographic, behavioral, and health-related factors.

Results: After full adjustment, progression to frailty was associated with dentition [per each additional tooth, odds ratio (OR) 0.97; 95% CI: 0.95-1.00], <21 teeth with (OR 1.74; 95% CI: 1.02-2.96) or without denture use (OR 2.45; 95% CI 1.15-5.21), and symptoms of dry mouth (OR ≥1.8; 95% CI ≥ 1.06-3.10) in the BRHS cohort. In the HABC Study, progression to frailty was associated with dry mouth (OR 2.62; 95% CI 1.05-6.55), self-reported difficulty eating (OR 2.12; 95% CI 1.28-3.50) and ≥2 cumulative oral health problems (OR 2.29; 95% CI 1.17-4.50). Progression to severe frailty was associated with edentulism (OR 4.44; 95% CI 1.39-14.15) and <21 teeth without dentures after full adjustment.

Conclusions and implications: These findings indicate that oral health problems, particularly tooth loss and dry mouth, in older adults are associated with progression to frailty in later life. Additional research is needed to determine if interventions aimed at maintaining (or improving) oral health can contribute to reducing the risk, and worsening, of physical frailty in older adults.

Keywords: Oral health problems; aging; dry mouth; frailty; tooth loss.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Female
Frailty* / epidemiology
Humans
Longitudinal Studies
Oral Health
Tooth Loss* / epidemiology
United States / epidemiology
Xerostomia*

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

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