Association between sarcopenia and oral functions in community‐dwelling older adults: A cross‐sectional study

Background Few studies have examined the state of oral function in older adults with sarcopenia. We assessed the oral functions of community‐dwelling older adults with sarcopenia from multiple perspectives to clarify their potentially low oral function. Methods A total of 1517 (86.2%; 990 women, 527 men; mean age 76.1 ± 7.6 years) participants were included in this study. Grip strength, gait speed and skeletal muscle mass index were assessed, and sarcopenia was evaluated according to the criteria of the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia 2019. The degree of tongue coating, oral moisture, occlusal force, tongue–lip motor function, tongue pressure, masticatory function and swallowing function were assessed. The criteria for oral hypofunction (a disease that is a combination of multiple low oral functions) were used to assess oral function. Statistical analyses were performed using Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, unpaired t‐test, Mann–Whitney U test, χ2 test, and univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses, with each oral function as the dependent variable and sarcopenia as one of the independent variables. The significance level was set at P