Association of oral frailty with falls in long-term care residents

Abstract

Purpose: We investigated the relationship between oral frailty (OFr) and falls among long-term care residents. Methods: Residents (N = 254, mean age 84 y, 79% women) participated in this longitudinal cohort study in 2018–2021. OFr was defined by six signs. Demographics, diagnoses, and medications were retrieved from the medical records. Frailty phenotype, sarcopenia and disability were assessed. Number of falls was collected from medical records over 12 months following baseline assessment. Results: Of participants, 35% fell during follow-up. Of the fallers, 28% were bedridden or needed a wheelchair; among non-fallers, this figure was 73%. In logistic regression analysis after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, stroke, dementia, diabetes, coronary heart disease, number of medications, mobility, walking speed and sarcopenia, OFr did not predict falls (OR for severe OFr 0.13 (95% CI 0.01—1.27). Male sex predicted falls. Conclusions: No association was found between severe OFr and falls over a 12-month follow-up.