Yusuke Sunakawa1,2, Hideki Tsugayasu2, Yutaka Watanabe3, Takae Matsushita1, Yuki Ohara4, Masanori Iwasaki4, Maki Shirobe4, Kayoko Ito5, Junko Nakajima6, Yasuyuki Iwasa7, Masataka Itoda8, Rikimaru Sasaki9, Yasuhiro Nishi10, Junichi Furuya11, Yoshihiko Watanabe12, Yukie Ishiguro13, Hirohiko Hirano4, Yuji Sato11, Mitsuyoshi Yoshida14, Yutaka Yamazaki1. 1. Gerodontology, Department of Oral Health Science, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Nishi-7, Kita-13, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8586, Japan. 2. Tsugayasu Dental Clinic, Hokkaido, Japan. 3. Gerodontology, Department of Oral Health Science, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Nishi-7, Kita-13, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido, 060-8586, Japan. ywata@den.hokudai.ac.jp. 4. Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, Tokyo, 173-0015, Japan. 5. Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, Niigata, 951-8520, Japan. 6. Department of Oral Medicine and Hospital Dentistry, Tokyo Dental College, Chiba, 272-8513, Japan. 7. Haradoi Hospital, Fukuoka, 813-0025, Japan. 8. Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Osaka Dental University Hospital, Osaka, 573-1144, Japan. 9. Rehabilitation Clinic for Speech and Swallowing Disorders, The Nippon Dental University Hospital, Tokyo, 102-8158, Japan. 10. Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Prosthodontics, Kagoshima University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Kagoshima, 890-8544, Japan. 11. Department of Geriatric Dentistry, Showa University School of Dentistry, Tokyo, 145-8515, Japan. 12. Tohoku Fukushi University, Miyagi, 981-8522, Japan. 13. Maibara Community Medicine and Welfare Center Fukushia, Shiga, Japan. 14. Department of Advanced Prosthodontics, Hiroshima University Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima, 734-0037, Japan.
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the association between home visits by a dentist and regular oral hygiene management by a dental hygienist (regular dental management: RDM) and weight loss among older adults in long-term care facilities. METHODS: A total of 468 older residents from 26 Japanese long-term care facilities participated in two surveys in 2018 and 2019. Participants were divided into two groups based on their diet during the baseline survey (regular diet, n = 256; dysphagia diet, n = 212). Participants with a regular diet were further divided into those who exhibited a weight loss ≥ 5% over 1 year (weight loss group: n = 77) and those with a weight loss < 5% (consistent weight group: n = 179). The explanatory variables were age, sex, baseline weight, Barthel index, and clinical dementia rating, as well as the patients' medical history of pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, and depression (which is reportedly associated with weight). Additionally, a Poisson regression with robust standard error, was carried out to analyze the explanatory variables, namely the prevalence of RDM noted during the study and functional teeth (which seemed to affect weight loss). RESULTS: A multivariate analysis revealed that older residents' lack of RDM, clinical dementia assessment, and their history of pneumonia (prevalence rate ratio: 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.24-0.95) were all significantly associated with weight loss when on a regular diet. CONCLUSION: Thus, weight loss and RDM were related to each other. Weight loss may be suppressed by incorporating RDMs during the early nursing care for older residents on regular diets.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the association between home visits by a dentist and regular oral hygiene management by a dental hygienist (regular dental management: RDM) and weight loss among older adults in long-term care facilities. METHODS: A total of 468 older residents from 26 Japanese long-term care facilities participated in two surveys in 2018 and 2019. Participants were divided into two groups based on their diet during the baseline survey (regular diet, n = 256; dysphagia diet, n = 212). Participants with a regular diet were further divided into those who exhibited a weight loss ≥ 5% over 1 year (weight loss group: n = 77) and those with a weight loss < 5% (consistent weight group: n = 179). The explanatory variables were age, sex, baseline weight, Barthel index, and clinical dementia rating, as well as the patients' medical history of pneumonia, stroke, diabetes, and depression (which is reportedly associated with weight). Additionally, a Poisson regression with robust standard error, was carried out to analyze the explanatory variables, namely the prevalence of RDM noted during the study and functional teeth (which seemed to affect weight loss). RESULTS: A multivariate analysis revealed that older residents' lack of RDM, clinical dementia assessment, and their history of pneumonia (prevalence rate ratio: 0.35, 95% confidence interval 0.24-0.95) were all significantly associated with weight loss when on a regular diet. CONCLUSION: Thus, weight loss and RDM were related to each other. Weight loss may be suppressed by incorporating RDMs during the early nursing care for older residents on regular diets.