Abstract
BACKGROUND: Aging alters oral structures, affecting chewing and swallowing function. Oral function is increasingly recognized as an important component of systemic health outcomes in older individuals. Understanding age-related changes in oral function is crucial for oral health care. This study comprehensively evaluated the various oral function determinants and their age-related changes, identified key factors, and estimated the prevalence of poor oral functions. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of older individuals (n = 206) participated. Oral functions were objectively assessed through dental status, saliva secretion, orofacial muscle strength, masticatory performance, and swallowing function. Correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and multiple regression were employed to explore the complexities of oral function determinants and their interrelationships and to estimate the prevalence of poor oral functions. RESULTS: Correlation analysis showed significantly (p < .001) strong (rs = -0.79) to low (rs = -0.11) correlations between determinants of oral function. The cluster analysis successfully identified three major groups of oral function. Further, the multiple linear regression and backward elimination showed that chewing strokes, natural teeth, and tongue pressure (p < .001) were significant predictors of age. Additionally, the prevalence of older individuals with poor dental status, reduced tongue pressure strength, and low saliva secretion rate was estimated at 9.7%, 14.6%, and 8.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Oral function determinants show age-related changes and have the potential to estimate the prevalence of poor oral functions in older individuals. These findings may be critical in identifying the phenotypic profile of people with poor oral function.