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Frailty was significantly associated with an increased risk of malnutrition among older adults while greater masticatory (chewing) performance was associated with reduced risk, according to a February study published in Experimental Gerontology. 

“Frail older adults clearly represent a priority group for dental and oral healthcare; however, such care should not be limited to individuals who are already frail,” authors said. “Early, preventive interventions that maintain dentition, masticatory function and daily oral self-care in robust and prefrail older adults may help reduce the risk of malnutrition and delay the onset or progression of frailty. Prospective cohort and intervention studies are warranted to confirm these potential preventive effects.”

The study analyzed 269 adults over 65 from community sites in southern Taiwan who participated in self-reported questionnaires, the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)–Short Form, the Dietary Well-being Scale, the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument, a chewing gum test and had their frailty measured by the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures (SOF) frailty index. 

Results showed that frailty was observed in 61 participants (22.7%) and adequate nutrition was reported in 210 older adults (78.1%), while 59 (21.9%) were at high risk. Additionally, 39% of frail participants had an increased risk of malnutrition compared to 18.1% of robust participants. Meanwhile, masticatory performance was significantly lower among participants at risk of malnutrition compared with participants with normal nutritional status.

Authors suggest that implementing basic oral health assessments into community-based geriatric nutrition screening can help identify at-risk individuals and guide targeted multidisciplinary interventions. They also note that further research is needed to fully understand the causal relationships between masticatory performance, oral health and nutritional risk while intervention studies should assess the efficacy of integrative strategies such as oral exercise programs, prosthodontic rehabilitation and tailored dietary counselling in improving both oral and nutritional health.