Association Between Oral Hypofunction and Physical Frailty Among Korean Older Adults with Preserved Cognitive and Functional Status

The oral cavity performs several functions that are essential for sustaining life and carrying out daily activities. Given the importance of maintaining functional abilities for healthy aging, exploration of the adverse health outcomes that may result from impaired oral function is needed. This cross-sectional study examined oral functional status in 176 community-dwelling older adults with preserved cognitive function and activities of daily living, and analyzed the association between oral hypofunction and physical frailty. Oral hypofunction was diagnosed using seven parameters. Frailty was assessed using the Korean version of the Fried Frailty Phenotype, which focuses on physical characteristics. Independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, the Kruskal–Wallis test, and multiple logistic regression analysis were conducted to examine the association between oral hypofunction and frailty. The prevalences of oral hypofunction and physical frailty were approximately 48% (n = 85) and 40% (n = 71), respectively. After adjusting for frailty-related factors, including sociodemographic and health-related characteristics, higher oral hypofunction scores were associated with an increased likelihood of physical frailty (odds ratio, 1.382; 95% confidence interval, 1.017–1.876). These findings suggest that maintaining the various functions of the oral cavity, including mastication, within normal ranges and restoring impaired oral abilities as early as possible may be relevant to healthy aging.