Oral health and quality of life
Oral health and periodontal disease have been linked with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, osteoporosis, pneumonia, and rheumatoid arthritis. Additionally, the association between poor oral health, periodontal disease, and increased mortality and frailty is well documented.
Fewer teeth or severe tooth loss are key factors in the oral frailty index. Owing to the differences in health-care systems, socioeconomic status, and societal value across regions, the prevalence and distribution of tooth loss or poor oral health conditions can differ across the world. Possible mechanisms linking poor oral health to an increased mortality risk include exacerbated immune responses or infection due to oral microbial diseases, unresolved chronic inflammation, nutritional deficiencies, physical frailty, difficulties in social interactions that might make seeking oral care more challenging, and disruptions to mental wellbeing. A new perspective advocating for a systems approach to aging biology has been suggested – namely, the integrative emergence of hierarchical organization, network dynamics, and resilience.
Four categories of oral frailty indicators have been described and associated with systemic outcomes: oral health status deterioration, decline in oral motor skills, chewing, swallowing and saliva disorders, and oral pain.
The current study addresses this gap with a thorough investigation into the role of four key oral health factors – namely, masticatory function, oral hygiene, number of remaining teeth, and periodontal status – in predicting functional disability and mortality among older individuals. The findings indicate that various aspects of oral health, including the number of remaining teeth, objective and subjective masticatory performance, periodontal disease status, functional dysphagia, tongue mobility, articulation,disorders, oral hygiene, decayed teeth, and denture inadaptation, greatly influence the onset of functional disability and the overall risk of mortality. Notably, objective masticatory performance emerged as a crucial factor for survival, suggesting that chewing ability plays an important role in maintaining overall health in older adults. A key strength of this study is its use of robust methods, including the use of large sample sizes and survival analysis. Importantly, such parallel and systematic comparisons of potential effects and risks of various oral health factors on functional disability and mortality have not been performed before.
Reports based on dada from the U. S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey support these findings by indicating that participants with fewer remaining teeth had lower femoral head bone mineral density, increased risks of hip fracture, and higher disease-specific and all-cause mortality. Moreover, this Survey participants (age range 20-80 years) with unsatisfactory oral health behaviours and conditions (such as infrequent dental visits, infrequent flossing habits, and subjective poor oral health) also faced higher risks of all-cause mortality.
The observational nature of these reports limits the ability to establish causality. Nevertheless, the implications for clinical practice ate substantial, as these studies suggest that comprehensive oral health assessment should become a routine part of overall health care. Interventions that improve oral function, maintaining adequate dentition and treating periodontal disease, could be beneficial in preventing or delaying the onset of frailty. By focusing on preventive measures and treatments that enhance masticatory performance and address other key oral health issues in young and middle-aged adults, health-care providers could reduce the risk of disability and mortality in aging populations.
So, in summary, oral health should be considered an integral component of the overall health-care system and an important factor in assessing aging. Using clinical tooth loss data, objective masticatory function might help to understand the conditions between oral and systemic health and provide deeper insights into oral frailty. Oral health conditions could be potential risk factors for physical frailty or functional disability. The importance of oral health for overall wellbeing and longevity should be emphasized.