Haruhisa Baba1, Yutaka Watanabe1, Kazuhito Miura1, Kimiya Ozaki1, Takae Matsushita1, Miyako Kondoh1, Kazutaka Okada1, Akira Hasebe2, Tokiyoshi Ayabe3, Kiminori Nakamura3, Shinji Nakaoka4, Katsuhiko Ogasawara5, Teppei Suzuki6, Hiroshi Saito7, Takashi Kimura7, Akiko Tamakoshi7, Yutaka Yamazaki1. 1. Gerodontology, Department of Oral Health Science, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo City, Japan. 2. Oral Molecular Microbiology, Department of Oral Pathobiological Science, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo City, Japan. 3. Department of Cell Biological Science, Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo City, Japan. 4. Laboratory of Mathematical Biology, Department of Advanced Transdisciplinary Sciences, Faculty of Advanced Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo City, Japan. 5. Health Innovation and Technology Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo City, Japan. 6. Hokkaido University of Education Iwamizawa Campus, Iwamizawa City, Japan. 7. Department of Public Health, Division of Preventive Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo City, Japan.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between oral frailty and oral Candida carriage as a general indicator of deteriorating oral function in older adults. BACKGROUND: Older adults exhibit an elevated risk of oral candidiasis caused by Candida. Although many studies have identified factors associated with oral Candida carriage, none have evaluated its relationship with oral function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 210 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years who participated in wellness checks. Fungal flora expression in saliva samples was evaluated to identify oral C. albicans and C. glabrata. Participants were categorised by detection of neither strain (group 1), either one of the strains (group 2), or both strains (group 3). The relationship between oral Candida carriage and oral frailty was evaluated by multinomial logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The participants included 58 men and 152 women with a mean age of 74.2 ± 6.1 years. A total of 88 (41.9%), 94 (44.8%) and 28 (13.3%) participants were assigned to groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. In the multinomial logistic regression analysis, significant associations were observed between group 1 and group 2 for "Have you choked on your tea or soup recently?" and the number of applicable oral frailty items. Between group 1 and group 3, significant associations were observed for the number of remaining teeth, masticatory performance and the number of applicable oral frailty items. CONCLUSION: We obtained basic data useful for intervention studies aimed at verifying whether oral function management prevents deterioration of the oral bacterial flora.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between oral frailty and oral Candida carriage as a general indicator of deteriorating oral function in older adults. BACKGROUND: Older adults exhibit an elevated risk of oral candidiasis caused by Candida. Although many studies have identified factors associated with oral Candida carriage, none have evaluated its relationship with oral function. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 210 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years who participated in wellness checks. Fungal flora expression in saliva samples was evaluated to identify oral C. albicans and C. glabrata. Participants were categorised by detection of neither strain (group 1), either one of the strains (group 2), or both strains (group 3). The relationship between oral Candida carriage and oral frailty was evaluated by multinomial logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The participants included 58 men and 152 women with a mean age of 74.2 ± 6.1 years. A total of 88 (41.9%), 94 (44.8%) and 28 (13.3%) participants were assigned to groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. In the multinomial logistic regression analysis, significant associations were observed between group 1 and group 2 for "Have you choked on your tea or soup recently?" and the number of applicable oral frailty items. Between group 1 and group 3, significant associations were observed for the number of remaining teeth, masticatory performance and the number of applicable oral frailty items. CONCLUSION: We obtained basic data useful for intervention studies aimed at verifying whether oral function management prevents deterioration of the oral bacterial flora.