Oral health status and its association with eating ability among older adults
- VernacularTitle:Ахмад настны амны хөндийн эрүүл мэндийг ба хооллох чадвартай уялдуулан судалсан дүн
- Author:
Turbat G
1
;
Byambasoyol N
2
;
Odgerel Ch
3
;
Sapaar B
2
;
Urjinlkham J
1
Author Information
1. Department of Oral Medicine, School of Dentistry, MNUMS
2. Central Dental Hospital, MNUMS
3. Department of Biochemistry, School of Biomedicine, MNUMS
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Older adults;
Oral health;
Oral Health Assessment Tool;
OHAT;
Biting and chewing ability;
Dietary restriction
- From:
Mongolian Journal of Health Sciences
2026;96(6):38-43
- CountryMongolia
- Language:Mongolian
-
Abstract:
Background:Life expectancy in Mongolia has increased by 8.3 years over the past three decades (1995–2025), reaching 72.1 years in 2025 (68.1 years for men and 76.2 years for women; National Statistics Office of Mongolia, 2025). Concurrently, the population aged ≥60 years has increased 2.65-fold since 1990, exceeding 338,000 in 2025. Particularly marked increases have been observed among those aged 60–64 years (241%) and 65–69 years (195%), reflecting the rapid pace of population ageing. These demographic changes are expected to increase the demand for age-appropriate oral healthcare, prosthodontic treatment, and oral rehabilitation services.
Aim:To assess oral health status among older adults and examine its association with eating ability.
Materials and Methods:An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 301 adults aged ≥50 years residing in the Chingeltei, Bayangol, Sukhbaatar, and Khan-Uul districts of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. Oral health status was assessed through clinical examination, including tooth loss and denture use, and using the eight-item Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT). Based on the OHAT assessment, oral health status was categorized as good or poor. Eating ability was assessed using a standardized questionnaire covering four domains: (1) difficulty biting and chewing hard-textured foods, such as whole pieces of meat and apples, using an ordinal scale; (2) ability to comfortably eat desired foods; (3) restriction of the type or amount of food consumed due to oral health problems; and (4) oral sensitivity to hot, cold, or sweet foods. Associations between categorical variables were assessed using Pearson’s chi-square (χ) test, with statistical significance set at p<0.05. Demographic variables, including age group and sex, were also considered in the analyses.
Result:The mean age of the participants was 69.0±7.8 years; 74% were women and 26% were men. Overall, 98.6% had experienced tooth loss, and 23.6% were completely edentulous. The use of removable dentures increased significantly with age (χ=8.83, p=0.032) and was more common among women than men (65.9% vs. 45.9%; χ=8.45, p=0.004). According to the OHAT assessment, 21.0% of participants had poor oral health status, which was significantly associated with educational level (χ=27.69, p<0.001). Among participants with available data on the ability to comfortably eat desired foods (n=240), 27.1% reported being completely unable to do so. This outcome did not differ significantly by age group (p=0.823) or sex (p=0.405). Regarding hard-textured foods such as whole pieces of meat and apples, 50.6% reported being completely unable to bite or chew them, whereas only 11.3% reported being able to consume them without difficulty. The proportion unable to consume hard foods was substantially higher among participants with dietary restrictions than among those without restrictions (82% vs. 22%; χ=74.1, p<0.001). Oral sensitivity was significantly associated with dietary restriction (χ=11.5, p=0.022) and self-rated oral health status (χ=7.7, p=0.021), but was not significantly associated with specific food types, such as meat or citrus fruits (p>0.05). These findings suggest that oral sensitivity is associated with overall dietary restriction rather than selective avoidance of particular foods.
Conclusion:Oral health problems among older adults are associated with impaired biting and chewing ability and may contribute to dietary restriction. Therefore, nutritional assessment in older adults should extend beyond clinical oral examination to include functional eating ability. A multidisciplinary approach involving dental professionals, geriatricians, and dietitians may provide a more comprehensive assessment of oral health–related nutritional risks in this population.
- Full text:202609262309550239907_Ахмад настны амны хөндийн эрүүл мэндийг ба хооллох чадвартай уялдуулан судалсан.pdf
