Analysis of the Current Status and Influencing Factors of Oral Frailty in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background: The prevalence of oral frailty is high in older adults in China. Older adults in the community may be more likely to ignore the impact of slight changes in oral function in daily life.

Objectives: To analyse the current status and influencing factors of oral frailty.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 361 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥ 60 years in four districts of Shijiazhuang were selected as the research objects by convenience sampling method. The number of natural teeth, times of daily teeth brushing, and the Oral Health Assessment Scale for the elderly were used to assess oral frailty.

Results: The prevalence of oral frailty among community-dwelling older adults was 33.4%. Logistic regression analysis showed that older age (70-79 years old compared to 60-69 years old: OR = 2.255, 95% CI: 1.044-4.871; ≥ 80 years old compared to 60-69 years old: OR = 3.644, 95% CI: 1.634-8.123), wearing dentures (OR = 4.625, 95% CI: 2.590-8.259), posterior occlusion pairs < 5 pairs (OR = 8.849, 95% CI: 4.423-17.706), not flossing (OR = 4.870, 95% CI: 1.752-13.540), and not gargling (OR = 2.128, 95% CI: 1.206-3.754) could increase the risk of oral frailty in the community-dwelling older adults. Wearing dentures was a protective factor for oral frailty in older adults with < 20 teeth (OR = 0.704, 95% CI: 0.530-0.935).

Conclusions: The prevalence of oral frailty in older adults in the community is 33.4%, which is at an intermediate level of the reported prevalence in China (17.1%-59.2%), but still higher than that in Japan (20.0%). Older adults who are older, have less than 20 teeth without dentures, have less than five pairs of posterior occlusal pairs, do not use dental floss, and do not gargle are at high risk of oral frailty and should be paid attention to.