Relationships among tooth loss, prefrailty, and dietary patterns in community-dwelling older Japanese females: a cross-sectional study
- Author:
Tatsumi HAYASHI
1
;
Rumi SATO
;
Kazuo TAMURA
Author Information
- Publication Type:Original Research
- From:Nutrition Research and Practice 2024;18(3):387-399
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:Poor oral health has been predicted the development of frailty and sarcopenia as well as the subsequent need for long-term care. This cross-sectional study examined the relationships among tooth loss, prefrailty, and dietary patterns in communitydwelling older Japanese females.
SUBJECTS/METHODS:Information on the number of teeth, food consumption, and lifestyle factors was collected from 271 participants aged ≥ 65 yrs using a questionnaire. The number of teeth was self-reported and classified into 2 groups: natural teeth ≥ 20 and natural teeth < 20. Prefrailty was assessed using the Japanese version of the Cardiovascular Health Study. Three dietary patterns (“vegetables and dairy products” [VD], “rice and fish and shellfish” [RF], and “bread and beverages”) were adopted from a cluster analysis of the intakes of 20 foods evaluated using the Food Frequency Questionnaire. The odds ratios (ORs) for prefrailty and dietary patterns were calculated using a binary logistic regression analysis.
RESULTS:A total of 267 participants were analyzed, excluding those with frailty (n = 4). The rates of natural teeth < 20 and prefrailty were 57.3 and 37.4%, respectively. Natural teeth < 20 was positively correlated with prefrailty (OR, 4.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.54–8.52) and inversely correlated with VD pattern (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.27–0.69). Furthermore, both VD (OR, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.16–0.91) and RF (OR, 0.26; 95% CI, 0.11–0.62) patterns were inversely correlated with prefrailty.
CONCLUSIONS:Maintaining the number of natural teeth ≥ 20 into old age plays an important role in preventing a prefrailty. The promotion of VD and RF dietary patterns has potential as an effective nutritional strategy for preventing tooth loss and prefrailty.
