Association between Oral Frailty and Geriatric Conditions

Abstract

In Japan, the amount of aged hospitalized patients has been steadily increasing. Elderly people are susceptible to poor health, and the rise of elderly patients increases medical care expenses, which can cause economic strain. Therefore, it is clinically and socially important to reduce the occurrence of geriatric diseases, such as aspiration pneumonia and cognitive impairment. The daily care by family members is considered to be effective for the prevention of geriatric diseases, however, early detection of the disease risk should receive more clinical significance. If risk factors are detected early by the caregivers or their family members, relevant preventive daily care may be provided in their home before the occurrence of geriatric disease. This review article focused on oral conditions of hospitalized aged patients and examined the effects of co-existing risk factors, such as oral frailty, on geriatric conditions.

Oral frailty: A concept analysis

“…There is no clear and unified concept definition of oral frailty, and different countries, regions and researchers have different understandings of the concept of oral frailty. According to Naruishi (2018), oral frailty is defined as poor oral condition. Parisius et al (2022) considered that oral frailty was the age-related functional decline in orofacial structures, while Hihara et al (2019) thought oral frailty referred to a slight decline in oral function.…”

“…There is no clear and unified concept definition of oral frailty, and different countries, regions and researchers have different understandings of the concept of oral frailty. According to Naruishi (2018), oral frailty is defined as poor oral condition. Parisius et al.…”