Title : Association between sarcopenia and oral health in community-dwelling elderly
Abstract:
Background: Sarcopenia can have a significant impact on the quality of life in community-dwelling elderly. The AWGS 2019 guidelines advocate for early prevention and the early identification and intervention of possible sarcopenia to mitigate adverse outcomes. Currently, researches pay less attention to the group with possible sarcopenia, and the relationship between different sarcopenia groups and oral health and oral health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults remains unclear. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the relationships between different sarcopenia groups and oral health and oral health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults.
Design: A descriptive, cross-sectional study.
Methods: A convenience sampling method was used to select 320 elderly individuals from 7 communities in Zhengzhou from November 2023 to March 2024. Participants were categorized into no sarcopenia, possible sarcopenia, and sarcopenia groups according to the diagnostic criteria set by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia (AWGS) in 2019. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire, an Oral Health Assessment Tool, and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14.
Results: Of the 320 community-dwelling elderly participants, 148 (46.3%) participants were identified as no sarcopenia; 112 (35.0%), possible sarcopenia, and 60 (18.8%), diagnosed sarcopenia. The results of the multivariate logistic regression analysis, after adjusting for confounding variables, showed that, compared with the no sarcopenia, possible sarcopenia was associated with oral health [OR = 1.216, 95% CI (1.086~1.362)] and oral health-related quality of life [OR = 1.059, 95% CI (1.025~1.095)]. Sarcopenia was also associated with oral health [OR = 1.407, 95% CI (1.201~1.649)] and oral health-related quality of life [OR = 1.051, 95% CI (1.011~1.094)].
Conclusion: The prevalence of sarcopenia is high among community-dwelling elderly. Poor oral health status and poor oral health-related quality of life increase the risks of possible sarcopenia and sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly. Community nurses should prioritize the oral health of community-dwelling elderly to facilitate early prevention and control of sarcopenia.
Audience Take Away:
- This study further confirms that community-dwelling elderly are a high-risk group for sarcopenia, and factors such as sex, age, number of diseases, educational level, cigarette smoking, and nutritional status affect the sarcopenia. Therefore, nurses should pay closer attention to older adults who are of advanced age and have multiple comorbidities, adapt health education methods based on their educational levels, actively advise smoking seniors to quit smoking, and strive to improve their nutritional status, promoting early prevention and management of sarcopenia.
- This study indicates that oral health affects sarcopenia and possible sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly. Therefore, in clinical practice, nurses should actively engage in oral health management, focusing on educating community-dwelling elderly about oral health, helping them establish awareness of oral health management, and fostering good oral health behaviors. For elderly with poor oral health, there should be a focus on monitoring their muscle mass and strength, while simultaneously implementing various measures to improve their oral condition, strictly preventing the onset and progression of sarcopenia.
- This study further confirms the significant importance of oral health management in the early prevention and control of sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly, and interventions for those with possible sarcopenia should consider the role of oral health. Future research could further explore how poor oral health leads to sarcopenia, enabling the development of targeted prevention and control strategies for sarcopenia in older adults with poor oral health.
