Oral health status and change in handgrip strength over a 5-year period in 80-year-old people.
OBJECTIVE
The number of remaining teeth may indicate the extent of life-long exposure to inflammation, a known risk factor for muscle loss and consequent disability. The aim was to study dental health status as a risk factor for muscle strength loss in very old people.


METHODS
Cross-sectional and prospective cohort study over a 5-year follow-up.


METHODS
Research laboratory.


METHODS
One hundred and ninety-three 80-year-old people participated in the baseline examinations. Five years later, 79 survivors were retested.


METHODS
Number of remaining teeth, presence of periodontitis and handgrip strength.


RESULTS
At baseline, grip strength of men correlated positively with number of teeth but not with the presence of periodontitis. In women, the cross-sectional associations were not statistically significant. In the prospective analyses, the presence of periodontitis at baseline showed a clear association with a steeper decline in handgrip over the 5-year follow-up in both sexes. The values adjusted for gender, height, weight, number of chronic conditions and physical activity were -28.3% (SE 5.7) among those with periodontitis vs. -11.9% (SE 3.1, p = 0.015) among those with healthy gingiva. No association between the number of teeth at baseline and change in grip strength over 5 years was observed.


CONCLUSIONS
The presence of oral inflammation may lead to loss in muscle strength increasing the risk of disability. Therefore, good dental care throughout the life span may decrease risk of disability in old age.
Hämäläinen
Piia
P
Institute of Dentistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. piia.hamalainen@helsinki.fi
Rantanen
Taina
T
Keskinen
Marja
M
Meurman
Jukka H
JH
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001824:Body Constitution; D002908:Chronic Disease; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018737:Hand Strength; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009909:Oral Health; D010518:Periodontitis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000503:physiopathology*