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Patients With 10 to 19 Teeth in the Oral Cavity Are at Significant Risk of Malnutrition According to a Study

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A study recently published in the Journal of Aging Research and Clinical Practice analyzed the health records of 107 adult patients living in the same community and treated at Rutgers University Clinic of Dental Medicine, New Jersey, USA. 2015 and 2016

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The results show that over 25% of the patients tested were malnourished or at risk.

Researchers found a trend in patients with 10 to 19 teeth were at higher risk of malnutrition.

These patients, classified as “malnourished,” had higher values ​​of weight loss, ate less frequently, and were more frequently reported suffering from dementia and / or depression and other serious illnesses. In contrast, patients with normal nutritional status did not experience similar abnormalities.

"The mouth is the entry way for food and fluid intake" said the study's lead author, Rena Zelig, director of the Master's Program in Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics at Rutgers University.

"If its integrity is impaired, the functional ability of an individual to consume an adequate diet may be adversely impacted."

Zelig noted that the results of clinical trials are sufficient to initiate nutritional screening in different groups of dental patients, especially in the case of individuals at increased risk of malnutrition who do not regularly visit primary care providers.

She noted that clinicians can also provide patients with referrals to registered dietitians to prepare individual diets to prevent further deepening of nutritional imbalances.

This was the first part of a study of the relationship between tooth loss and nutritional status in older people. The second part was based on these results and qualitatively studied the individual nutritional capacity, depending on the dental status and nutritional quality of life of older patients in the study community. The latter was realized through quality interviews.

This research project initiates further research into the relationship between tooth loss and the risk of malnutrition, as well as the impact of tooth loss on nutritional potential and nutritional quality of life.

References:

R. Zelig, L. Byham-Gray, S.R. Singer, E.R. Hoskin, A. Fleisch Marcus, G. Verdino, D.R. Radler, R. Touger-Decker. Dentition and Malnutrition Risk in Community Dwelling Older Adults. Journal of Aging Research and Clinical Practice, 2018; 7: 107-114 doi: 10.14283 / jarcp.2018.19