Periodontal disease is the key to frailty.
Nutritional deficiencies or lack of daily physical activity can lead to a condition of muscle weakness called “sarcopenia. As people become less involved with others and “stay-at-home,” their physical activity declines even further, creating a vicious cycle. Therefore, the three pillars of “nutrition,” “exercise,” and “social participation” are important for preventing frailty.
Periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss in adults due to inflammation of gingiva and loss of the alveolar bone supporting the teeth caused by the periodontal pathogenic bacteria, the causative factor to periodontal disease.
First, loss of teeth results in inability to eat and poor nutrition. Second, social participation declines, as people do not want to meet with others due to bad breath and the appearance of teeth loss. Third, it has been reported that periodontal pathogenic bacterial infection may lead to sarcopenia by causing metabolic abnormalities in skeletal muscle, resulting in reduced physical activity. All of this shows that periodontal disease is the key to frailty (Fig.).
Periodontal treatment prevents oral frailty.
Oral frailty refers to a decrease in interest in oral health and a decline in oral function, which occurs as a precursor to frailty.
It has been reported that people with oral frailty have a 2.4 times greater risk of developing physical frailty, a 2.4 times greater risk of being certified as the need for nursing care, and a 2.1 times greater mortality rate in the future.
Since2018, “Oral hypofunction1” has been adopted as a medical insurance disease and the criteria for evaluating and diagnosing oral hypofunction at dental clinics has been established.
Early detection and intervention in the oral frailty stage lead for the prevention of the frailty and the need for nursing care. During periodontal treatment, it is very important that patients take an interest in oral health, keeps the mouth clean, detects small changes in the mouth, reduces the number of teeth lost, and understand how to maintain and function the remaining teeth.
For this reason, it is also necessary to collaborate with dental and medical department other than periodontics, such as prosthetic treatment to replace missing teeth with dentures or crown/bridge and control of lifestyle-related diseases.
For preventing oral frailty and frailty, to take an interest in own oral health and have personal primary-care dentist are recommended.
- Oral hypofunction: A condition in which the sensation in the mouth, chewing, swallowing, saliva secretion, and other oral functions gradually decrease with age. ↩︎