Is frailty in the elderly associated with poor oral health?

This summary is based on the article Association between oral health and frailty: A systematic review of longitudinal studies published in Gerodontology, September 2019

Frailty and poor oral health are common among ageing populations; however,  there's no evidence of this association over short or long periods of time. Longitudinal studies to observe this phenomenon are scare and the authors of a systematic review attempted to find the few studies that could shed more light on the impact of poor oral health on the onset or progression of frailty in the elderly.

Five longitudinal studies from three countries (Mexico, Japan, and UK) were identified. The studies examined the association between oral health and frailty in the elderly. All studies used Fried's frailty phenotype criteria for measuring frailty. Oral health indicators were number of teeth, periodontal disease, oral functions (functional dentition with occluding pairs and maximum bite force), use of removable dentures, accumulation of oral health problems and dry mouth symptoms.

Frailty is defined as a state characterised by reduced physiological reserve and higher vulnerability to stressors which leads to adverse health outcomes including dependency functional impairment, cognitive decline and death. Furthermore, it leads to adverse outcomes and affects the quality of life of older adults.

The studies showed significant association of number of teeth (two studies), oral functions (two studies), accumulation of oral health problems and number of dry mouth symptoms with frailty incidence, whereas periodontal disease showed inconsistent associations.

The systematic review identified significant longitudinal associations between oral health and frailty. These associations highlight the importance of oral health as a predictor of frailty in older age.