Association between tooth loss and frailty among Chinese older adults: the mediating role of dietary diversity

BMC Geriatrics

Research

Danan Gu¹  Xin Xu²  Bei Wu³  Yaolin Pei³  Yuan Zhao⁴ 

[1] Independent Researcher, New York, USA;Population Research Institute, Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing, China;Rory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, 433 First Avenue, 10010, New York, NY, USA;School of Geography, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China;Jiangsu Center for Collaborative Innovation in Geographical Information Resource Development and Application, Nanjing, China;

关键词: Tooth loss;    Frailty;    Dietary diversity;    Chinese older adults;    Mediation;    CLHLS;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12877-023-04355-6

 received in 2023-03-01, accepted in 2023-09-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThis study aimed to examine the association between tooth loss and frailty among Chinese older adults and the mediating role of dietary diversity in this association.MethodsData from five waves of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey conducted between 2005 and 2018 were used. Path analyses were employed to assess both concurrent and cross-lagged relationships between tooth loss and frailty index while accounting for intrapersonal correlation. Furthermore, the mediation effect of dietary diversity was also examined.ResultsIn concurrent models, severe tooth loss was associated with frailty after adjusting for demographic characteristics (odds ratio [OR] = 1.82, p < 0.001). The OR of frailty for severe tooth loss was only slightly decreased to 1.74 (p < 0.001) when dietary diversity was added to the model and to 1.64 (p < 0.001) when socioeconomic status, family support, and healthy lifestyles were further adjusted. In the cross-lag or longitudinal models, the ORs were mildly or moderately reduced to 1.29, 1.27, and 1.23, respectively, yet remained statistically significant (p < 0.001 or p < 0.01). The mediation analyses showed that dietary diversity had some small yet significant effects on the relationship between tooth loss and frailty in both concurrent and longitudinal settings.ConclusionsThis study improves current knowledge regarding the impact of tooth loss on frailty among Chinese older adults. Future intervention strategies designed to improve healthy diets may have preventive effects against the risk of frailty among Chinese older adults with severe tooth loss.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature 2023

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