Eva Kiesswetter1, Linda M Hengeveld2, Bart Jf Keijser3, Dorothee Volkert4, Marjolein Visser5. 1. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Institute for Biomedicine of Aging, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Kobergerstr. 60, 90408, Nürnberg, Germany. Electronic address: e.kiesswetter@vu.nl. 2. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: linda.hengeveld@vu.nl. 3. Research Group Microbiology and Systems Biology, TNO, Utrechtseweg 48, 3704HE, Zeist, the Netherlands; Department of Preventive Dentistry, Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), University of Amsterdam, Gustav Mahlerlaan 3004, 1081 LA, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: bart.keijser@tno.nl. 4. Institute for Biomedicine of Aging, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Kobergerstr. 60, 90408, Nürnberg, Germany. Electronic address: dorothee.volkert@fau.de. 5. Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1085, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Electronic address: m.visser@vu.nl.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Poor oral health might be a modifiable determinant of malnutrition in older age. We aimed to investigate the associations of multiple oral health characteristics with incident malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This exploratory analysis is based on prospective data from 893 participants, aged 55-80 years without malnutrition in 2005/06 from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. In 2007, 19 oral health characteristics from the domains teeth/dentures, oral hygiene, oral problems, and self-rated oral health were assessed by questionnaire. Incident malnutrition was defined as presence of low body mass index (<20 kg/m² in people <70 years, <22 kg/m² ≥70 years) and/or self-reported involuntary weight loss ≥5% in previous 6 months at any of the follow-ups (2008/09, 2012/13, 2015/16). Associations of oral aspects with incident malnutrition were analyzed by cox proportional hazard models and adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: The 9-year incidence of malnutrition was 13.5%. Sixteen of 19 oral health aspects were not associated with incident malnutrition in the crude models. Adjusted hazard ratios for incident malnutrition were 2.14 (1.10-4.19, p = 0.026) for toothache while chewing, 2.10 (0.88-4.98, p = 0.094) for an unhealthy oral health status, and 1.99 (0.93-4.28, p = 0.077) for xerostomia in edentulous participants, however, the two latter ones failing to reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: We identified toothache while chewing as determinant of incident malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults, and found indications that poor oral health and xerostomia in combination with having no teeth may play a role in developing malnutrition. However, these outlined tendencies need to be proven in further studies. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Regarding the development of strategies to prevent malnutrition in older people toothache while chewing, xerostomia, and self-rated oral health would be of specific interest as these factors are modifiable and can be easily assessed by self-reports.
OBJECTIVE: Poor oral health might be a modifiable determinant of malnutrition in older age. We aimed to investigate the associations of multiple oral health characteristics with incident malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: This exploratory analysis is based on prospective data from 893 participants, aged 55-80 years without malnutrition in 2005/06 from the Longitudinal Aging Study Amsterdam. In 2007, 19 oral health characteristics from the domains teeth/dentures, oral hygiene, oral problems, and self-rated oral health were assessed by questionnaire. Incident malnutrition was defined as presence of low body mass index (<20 kg/m² in people <70 years, <22 kg/m² ≥70 years) and/or self-reported involuntary weight loss ≥5% in previous 6 months at any of the follow-ups (2008/09, 2012/13, 2015/16). Associations of oral aspects with incident malnutrition were analyzed by cox proportional hazard models and adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: The 9-year incidence of malnutrition was 13.5%. Sixteen of 19 oral health aspects were not associated with incident malnutrition in the crude models. Adjusted hazard ratios for incident malnutrition were 2.14 (1.10-4.19, p = 0.026) for toothache while chewing, 2.10 (0.88-4.98, p = 0.094) for an unhealthy oral health status, and 1.99 (0.93-4.28, p = 0.077) for xerostomia in edentulous participants, however, the two latter ones failing to reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS: We identified toothache while chewing as determinant of incident malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults, and found indications that poor oral health and xerostomia in combination with having no teeth may play a role in developing malnutrition. However, these outlined tendencies need to be proven in further studies. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Regarding the development of strategies to prevent malnutrition in older peopletoothache while chewing, xerostomia, and self-rated oral health would be of specific interest as these factors are modifiable and can be easily assessed by self-reports.
Authors: D Volkert; M Visser; C A Corish; C Geisler; L de Groot; A J Cruz-Jentoft; C Lohrmann; E M O'Connor; K Schindler; M A E de van der Schueren Journal: Eur Geriatr Med Date: 2019-11-20 Impact factor: 1.710
Authors: Kristina S Fluitman; Tim J van den Broek; Max Nieuwdorp; Marjolein Visser; Richard G IJzerman; Bart J F Keijser Journal: Sci Rep Date: 2021-12-01 Impact factor: 4.379