Researchers in Korea have published a study demonstrating that the rate of frailty was 2.68 times higher in those who experience difficulty chewing food, emphasizing the importance of dental health.

Frailty refers to the condition whereby physical functions weaken more rapidly than normal aging, increasing the likelihood of disability or hospitalization. 

Irregular lifestyle, illness, uncontrolled medication, and decreased physical activity increase the risk of frailty.

The research team led by Professor Jung Hee-won of the Department of Geriatric Medicine at Asan Medical Center (AMC) in Seoul investigated the degree of frailty and masticatory function of approximately 3,000 elderly people aged 65 or older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Survey from 2016 to 2018.

The masticatory function was evaluated by checking for difficulties in chewing food, and frailty was calculated as a percentage of 36 contributing factors. This included comorbid diseases such as asthma, diabetes, and stroke, exercise ability, functional evaluation such as social activity restrictions, and hearing loss, and signs and symptoms of frailty such as depression, weight loss, and stress.

Among the total elderly surveyed, 1,222, 1,014, and 782 were classified as non-frail, pre-frail, and frail respectively. Accordingly, 29.9 percent, 42 percent, and 59.5 percent of these aforementioned groups expressed difficulties chewing.

After adjusting the figures so that age, gender, body mass index, and various diseases were similar among the groups, those complaining of difficulty in chewing was about 2.68 times higher in the frail group and 1.49 times higher in the former pre-frail group.

The research team also statistically analyzed the factors associated with mastication difficulties and found that with periodontal disease, the difficulty of chewing food increased by about 1.29 times. Consequently, the researchers are advocating for early diagnosis and treatment of oral health to stop the vicious cycle that leads to frailty in old age.

"The ability to chew food has a great influence on nutrition and diet selection, so it can be an indicator of systemic health in old age," Professor Jung said. "The elderly who usually manage their teeth through oral examinations and already have difficulty chewing food, it is necessary to prevent aging by consuming nutrients through elderly-friendly foods or supplements."