Impact of the Association Between Nutritional Status and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults from Two Cities in Southern Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study

Natália Marcumini Pola (), Bernardo da Fonseca Orcina, Betina Dutra Lima, Paulo Roberto Grafitti Colussi and Francisco Wilker Mustafa Gomes Muniz
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Natália Marcumini Pola: Semiology and Clinic Department, Federal University of Pelotas, Rua Gonçalves Chaves 457, Pelotas 96015-560, RS, Brazil
Bernardo da Fonseca Orcina: Graduation Program in Dentistry, Federal University of Pelotas, Rua Gonçalves Chaves 457, Pelotas 96015-560, RS, Brazil
Betina Dutra Lima: School of Dentistry, Federal University of Pelotas, Rua Gonçalves Chaves 457, Pelotas 96015-560, RS, Brazil
Paulo Roberto Grafitti Colussi: Private Practice, Passo Fundo 99025-040, RS, Brazil
Francisco Wilker Mustafa Gomes Muniz: Semiology and Clinic Department, Federal University of Pelotas, Rua Gonçalves Chaves 457, Pelotas 96015-560, RS, Brazil

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the association between nutritional status and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in older adults from population-based studies of two cities in southern Brazil. Methods: A total of 569 community-dwelling individuals aged 60 years and older were included. Sociodemographic, dental, and behavioral data were collected. Nutritional status was evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). OHRQoL, the primary outcome, was measured using the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) questionnaire. Poisson regression with robust variance was applied in crude and adjusted analyses to evaluate the impact of nutritional status on OHIP-14 outcomes. Results: The prevalence of risk of malnutrition was 31.6%, while the mean OHIP-14 was 4.86 ± 7.55. Individuals with malnutrition risk (7.44 ± 9.95) showed overall OHIP-14 scores significantly higher than those with normal nutrition (3.65 ± 5.76) ( p < 0.001). A similar trend in results was detected in all domains of OHIP-14 ( p < 0.05). In the adjusted analysis, individuals at risk of malnutrition had a 66% higher prevalence ratio (PR) (95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 1.23–2.23) of having poorer OHRQoL. Associations were also observed for the severity (PR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.31–2.19) and extent (PR: 2.33; 95% CI: 1.55–3.49) of OHIP-14. Conclusions: In conclusion, poorer nutritional status is significantly associated with a higher impact on OHRQoL in older adults.

Keywords: oral health; nutritional status; aged; quality of life (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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