Association between Oral Frailty and Intrinsic Capacity among Older Patients

OBJECTIVES: Oral and systemic health are interrelated and interact with each other. However, the relationship between intrinsic capacity (IC) and oral frailty (OF) has not been studied. Hence, the purpose of this research was to clarify the correlation between OF and IC in older patients. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Hospital-based. PARTICIPANTS: This investigation included 303 patients aged ≥60 years (149 women and 154 men). MEASUREMENTS: IC was evaluated in five dimensions, including cognition (Mini-Mental State Examination), vitality (Short-Form Mini Nutritional Assessment), locomotion (Short Physical Performance Battery test), psychological (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale), and sensory (self-reported hearing and vision) capacities. On the basis of thefive domains, an IC composite score (0–5) was created, with lower scores denoting worse IC. The Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8) is a questionnaire that can be usedto screen for oral frailty simply. Eight factors were considered to determine the OF classification. Multiple linear and logistic regressions were carried out to investigate the relationships between OF and its items with the IC composite score and IC domains. RESULTS: A total of 303 patients were enrolled, with an average age of 75.77±8.18 years. Overall, 44.2% and 61.1% of the participants had OF and IC impairment, respectively. Multiple linear and logistic regressions revealedthat OF was an independent predictor of IC decline. Additionally, multiple linear regression analyses revealedthat the OF group had lower scores in the IC domains (vitality and locomotion) and higher scores in the psychological domain than the non-OF group. OF items (inability to chew hard food [β=-0.172, p=0.002], less frequently going out [β=-0.125, p=0.018], and brushing teeth less than twice a day [β=-0.151, p=0.004]) were the most susceptible to the impact of IC decline. Among the three OF items above, the inability to chew hard food was correlated with worse locomotion (β=-0.122, p=0.028) and psychological capacity (β=0.151, p=0.018), brushing teeth less than twice a day was related to worse cognitive (β=-0.168, p=0.006) and sensory capacity (β=-0.126, p=0.029), and less frequently going out was associated with worse locomotion function (β=-0.202, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that patients with OF may have more severe IC deficits. Among OF items, the inability to chew hard food, brushing teeth less than twice a day, and less frequently going out are important indicators related to the development of IC decline. OF may be employed to detect and manage IC decline.