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Relationship between Body Mass Index and Sarcopenia with Oral Function Decline in Older Japanese Patients Who Regularly Attend a General Dental Clinic

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  • Physical Frailty
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Abstract

Background and Objective

This study examined the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sarcopenia with oral function decline in older patients as well as whether a combination of underweight BMI and sarcopenia was associated with decreased oral function in individuals with conservative restorative and prosthetic treatment for masticatory disorders.

Design, Setting, And Participants

This cross-sectional study included 290 older Japanese patients who regularly attended a general dental clinic. A detailed examination of oral function, sarcopenia, and BMI according to the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019 criteria was conducted for patients aged 65 years. This study used odds ratios as an epidemiological measure in the cross-sectional survey.

Results

Multinomial logistic regression analysis showed that the number of remaining teeth and tongue pressure was associated with both ideal and overweight BMI in individuals with sarcopenia when compared to healthy individuals. The underweight BMI plus sarcopenia group was associated with tongue and lip motor function [ka] sound test, swallowing function, and the presence of oral hypofunction.

Discussion

Our findings indicated that various aspects of oral function were impaired in community-dwelling older adult Japanese patients with sarcopenia and underweight BMI. Notably, among older adults with sarcopenia, both obese and thin patients exist, suggesting that distinct pathophysiological mechanisms influence oral function.

Conclusion

The above findings support the hypothesis that the coexistence of sarcopenia and underweight BMI is associated with poor oral function. Regular oral function assessments and weight measurements in general dental practice can aid the prompt identification of sarcopenia and reduced swallowing function and can facilitate early intervention. The presence of sarcopenia and impaired swallowing function should be considered in patients with underweight BMI, reduced [ka] sound, and low tongue pressure following a thorough oral function examination.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Gerodontology, Department of Oral Health Science, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University and Tsugayasu Dental Clinic, Medical Corporation Shuwakai for their support. In addition, we would like to thank Editage (https://www.editage.com) for English language editing services.

Funding

Funding: This research received no external funding.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Gerodontology, Department of Oral Health Science, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, 060-8586, Japan

    Y. Matsushita,  Yutaka Watanabe & Y. Yamazaki

  2. Tsugayasu Dental Clinic, Medical Corporation Shuwakai, Obihiro, 080-0020, Japan

    Y. Matsushita & R. Shirahase

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  1. Y. Matsushita
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  2. Yutaka Watanabe
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yutaka Watanabe.

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Conflicts of interest: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Institutional review board statement: This study was conducted in accordance with the guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. The study protocol was approved by the Ethical Review Committee for Clinical and Epidemiological Research of the Faculty of Dentistry, Hokkaido University (Approval no. 2019-4).

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Matsushita, Y., Watanabe, Y., Shirahase, R. et al. Relationship between Body Mass Index and Sarcopenia with Oral Function Decline in Older Japanese Patients Who Regularly Attend a General Dental Clinic. J Frailty Aging 13, 21–30 (2024). https://doi.org/10.14283/jfa.2024.5

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