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OFr was evaluated with six signs: dry mouth, diet of pureed or soft food, residue of food on oral surfaces, unclear speech, inability to keep mouth open during the clinical oral examination and pain expression during the examination. A linear trend existed between OFr groups and general health; prevalence of dementia and malnutrition increased from Group 1 to Group 3. The need for help with eating and oral hygiene procedures increased from Group 1 to Group 3. Moreover, OFr had a linear relationship with chewing and swallowing difficulties.
Keywords: long-term facilities, older adults, oral frailty, frailty, older people. The geriatric syndrome of frailty is characterised by decreased physiological reserves and increased vulnerability, and it has been associated with an increased risk for disability, falls, hospitalisation and death [ 1 ].
It is also associated with malnutrition, impaired health-related quality of life and poor oral health among older adults [ 2—4 ]. However, no consensus exists on whether frailty should be defined as a physical phenotype or as an accumulation of deficits Frailty Index [ 5 , 6 ]. These two explanations partly overlap but share a similarly poor prognosis [ 7 ]. The definition of oral frailty OFr has been extensively discussed worldwide, but consensus has not been reached.
OFr has been considered poor oral health or oral hypofunction, with the signs, symptoms and methods of diagnosis undergoing debate [ 8—11 ]. Various researchers have proposed the following as potential signs of OFr: i a dietary change to more pureed or soft foods, ii residue of food in the oral cavity oral clearance , iii unclear speech, iv inability to keep mouth open, v hypersensitivity to oral procedure and vi dry mouth [ 8 , 10 , 12—14 ].
