title: Relationship Between Frailty and Oral Function in Community-Dwelling Elderly Adults.
abstract: To determine the standard values of and age-related changes in objective oral function of healthy older people; compare oral function of robust, prefrail, and frail older people; and determine the association between oral function and frailty.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional analysis.
  
  
  
  General community.
  
  
  
  Elderly adults (≥65) from the Obu Study of Health Promotion for the Elderly were included and assigned to the robust, prefrail, and frail groups (N = 4,720).
  
  
  
  Each participant underwent detailed physical testing to assess frailty. The frailty phenotype was defined according to the presence of limitations in three or more of the following five domains: mobility, strength, endurance, physical activity, and nutrition. The numbers of present teeth and functional teeth were counted, and occlusal force, masseter muscle thickness, and oral diadochokinesis (ODK) rate were measured, along with sociodemographic and functional status, comorbidities, and blood chemistry.
  
  
  
  The number of present teeth, occlusal force, masseter muscle thickness, and ODK rate decreased with age. The frail group had significantly fewer present teeth (women aged ≥70), lower occlusal force (women aged ≥70; men aged ≥80), lower masseter muscle thickness, and lower ODK rate than the robust group. Multivariate analysis indicated that age, Geriatric Depression Scale score, skeletal muscle mass index, Mini-Mental State Examination score, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, albumin and triglyceride levels, and oral function were significantly associated with frailty.
  
  
  
  Age-related differences in oral function were found in older adults. Moreover, frail older individuals had significantly poorer oral function than prefrail and robust individuals. The risk of frailty was associated with lower occlusal force, masseter muscle thickness, and ODK rate.
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.|National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirohiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirano
authors.affiliation: National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.affiliation: National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Shiho
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morishita
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Health Education, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Science, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ohara
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ayako
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Edahiro
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Murakami
authors.affiliation: National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Oral Rehabilitation, Graduate School of Life Dentistry, Nippon Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kikutani
authors.affiliation: National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology, Aichi, Japan.|Section of Gerontology, Graduate School, J. F. Oberlin University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D001732:Bite Force; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003817:Dentition; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008406:Masseter Muscle / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012709:Serum Albumin; D013060:Speech; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D012709:Serum Albumin; D014280:Triglycerides
keywords: aging; cross-sectional analysis; frail; oral function; teeth