Age-related differences in oral function were found in older adults. Moreover, frail older individuals had significantly poorer oral function than prefrail and robust individuals. The risk of frailty was associated with lower occlusal force, masseter muscle thickness, and ODK rate.

BackgroundBecause few Japanese questionnaires assess the elderly's appetite, there is an urgent need to develop an appetite questionnaire with verified reliability, validity, and reproducibility.MethodsWe translated and back-translated the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ), which has eight items, into Japanese (CNAQ-J), as well as the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ-J), which includes four CNAQ-J-derived items. Using structural equation modeling, we examined the CNAQ-J structure based on data of 649 Japanese elderly people in 2013, including individuals having a certain degree of cognitive impairment, and we developed the SNAQ for the Japanese elderly (SNAQ-JE) according to an exploratory factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analyses on the appetite questionnaires were conducted to probe fitting to the model. We computed Cronbach's α coefficients and criterion-referenced/-related validity figures examining associations of the three appetite battery scores with body mass index (BMI) values and with nutrition-related questionnaire values. Test–retest reproducibility of appetite tools was scrutinized over an approximately 2-week interval.ResultsAn exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the CNAQ-J was constructed of one factor (appetite), yielding the SNAQ-JE, which includes four questions derived from the CNAQ-J. The three appetite instruments showed almost equivalent fitting to the model and reproducibility. The CNAQ-J and SNAQ-JE demonstrated satisfactory reliability and significant criterion-referenced/-related validity values, including BMIs, but the SNAQ-J included a low factor-loading item, exhibited less satisfactory reliability and had a non-significant relationship to BMI.ConclusionsThe CNAQ-J and SNAQ-JE may be applied to assess the appetite of Japanese elderly, including persons with some cognitive impairment.

Oral motor skill, such as lip movement, might be impaired in patients with MCI. Detecting decreasing oral motor dexterity supports the early detection of MCI, and might be key to improve the prognosis of dementia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2018; 18: 790-798.

The results of the present study suggest that the need for oral hygiene management by dental professionals increases as dementia advances. However, current systems that provide regional dental care are structured based on the level of care need and the degree of independence. A dementia perspective needs to be added to these systems. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2016; 16: 956-962.

Oral ingestion influences the life sustenance, quality of life, and dignity of older adults. Thus, it is an important issue in medical care and the welfare of older adults. The purpose of this four-year prospective cohort study was to investigate the relationship between mortality and oral function among older adults who required long-term care and were living in different settings in a rural area of Japan. This study included 289 participants aged 65 and older who required long-term care and lived in the former Omorimachi area in Yokote City, Akita Prefecture, located in northern Japan. Following the baseline survey, mortality data were collected over four years; 102 participants (35.3%) died during that time. A significant difference was noted in the overall survival rates between the groups with good and deterioration of oral function such as oral dryness, rinsing ability, swallowing function, and articulation, based on Log-rank test results. After adjusting for various potential confounders using Cox proportional-hazards regression, oral dryness (HR: 1.83, 95% confidence interval: 1.12−3.00) was significantly associated with mortality within four years. This study revealed that oral dryness influences the life prognosis of older adults who receive long-term care in different settings.