Heterogeneous Trajectories of Oral Frailty Among Institutionalized Older Adults: A 6-Month Latent Growth Mixture Modelling Study.

IF 3.8 3区医学 Q1 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE

Journal of oral rehabilitation Pub Date : 2026-09-28 DOI:10.1111/joor.70329

Hong Chen, Yunlan Jiang, Xiaodi Bai, Le Li, Yuelin Wang, Jing Wang, Senlin Wu, Mengjie Zhang, Xiaoyu Bai

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Oral frailty describes an emerging geriatric oral condition featuring progressive oral function decline linked to adverse health outcomes among older adults. Older adults living in long-term care facilities are particularly vulnerable due to advanced age, multimorbidity and reduced self-care capacity. However, longitudinal patterns of oral frailty progression and individual heterogeneity remain unclear.

Objectives: This study aimed to identify distinct longitudinal trajectories of oral frailty among older adults residing in long-term care facilities and to examine baseline clinical characteristics associated with different trajectory memberships.

Methods: A prospective longitudinal study was conducted among 295 older adults from six long-term care facilities in Chengdu, China, between March and December 2025. Oral frailty was assessed using the Oral Frailty Index-8 (OFI-8) at baseline and at 1-, 3- and 6-month follow-ups. Latent growth mixture modelling (LGMM) was used to identify oral frailty trajectories.

Results: Three distinct oral frailty trajectories were identified: a low-level persistent stable group (46.3%), a moderate-level gradual recovery group (34.4%) and a high-level progressive deterioration group (19.3%). Cognitive impairment, nutritional status, insomnia, number of chronic diseases and long-term alcohol consumption were key clinical indicators distinguishing the three trajectory groups.

Conclusion: Oral frailty progression among older adults in long-term care facilities shows substantial heterogeneity. Trajectory-based assessment incorporating cognitive, nutritional and chronic disease-related indicators may facilitate early identification of high-risk individuals and support personalized oral health interventions.

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老年人口腔虚弱的异质性轨迹：一项为期6个月的潜在生长混合模型研究。

背景：口腔虚弱描述了一种新出现的老年口腔疾病，其特征是口腔功能的进行性下降，与老年人的不良健康结果有关。生活在长期护理设施中的老年人由于年事已高、多发病和自我护理能力下降而特别脆弱。然而，口腔虚弱进展的纵向模式和个体异质性仍不清楚。目的：本研究旨在确定居住在长期护理机构的老年人口腔虚弱的不同纵向轨迹，并检查与不同轨迹成员相关的基线临床特征。方法：在2025年3月至12月期间，对中国成都六家长期护理机构的295名老年人进行了前瞻性纵向研究。在基线和1个月、3个月和6个月的随访中，使用口腔虚弱指数-8 （OFI-8）评估口腔虚弱。使用潜在生长混合物模型（LGMM）来确定口腔脆弱的轨迹。结果：确定了三种不同的口腔虚弱轨迹：低水平持续稳定组（46.3%），中等水平逐渐恢复组（34.4%）和高水平进行性恶化组（19.3%）。认知障碍、营养状况、失眠、慢性疾病数量和长期饮酒是区分三种轨迹组的关键临床指标。结论：长期护理机构中老年人口腔虚弱的进展显示出实质性的异质性。结合认知、营养和慢性病相关指标的基于轨迹的评估可能有助于早期识别高风险个体，并支持个性化的口腔健康干预措施。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of oral rehabilitation 医学-牙科与口腔外科

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

10.30%

发文量

116

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Journal of Oral Rehabilitation aims to be the most prestigious journal of dental research within all aspects of oral rehabilitation and applied oral physiology. It covers all diagnostic and clinical management aspects necessary to re-establish a subjective and objective harmonious oral function. Oral rehabilitation may become necessary as a result of developmental or acquired disturbances in the orofacial region, orofacial traumas, or a variety of dental and oral diseases (primarily dental caries and periodontal diseases) and orofacial pain conditions. As such, oral rehabilitation in the twenty-first century is a matter of skilful diagnosis and minimal, appropriate intervention, the nature of which is intimately linked to a profound knowledge of oral physiology, oral biology, and dental and oral pathology. The scientific content of the journal therefore strives to reflect the best of evidence-based clinical dentistry. Modern clinical management should be based on solid scientific evidence gathered about diagnostic procedures and the properties and efficacy of the chosen intervention (e.g. material science, biological, toxicological, pharmacological or psychological aspects). The content of the journal also reflects documentation of the possible side-effects of rehabilitation, and includes prognostic perspectives of the treatment modalities chosen.