Chengfengyi Yang

Background: Oral frailty is a multidimensional state associated with physical decline. This study is to investigate the association between oral frailty and grip strength in older adults, focusing on the moderating role of body mass index (BMI). Methods: A multicentre cross‐sectional study was conducted in Beijing, China, between July, 2024 and March, 2026. Participants aged 60 years or older were recruited using convenience sampling from eight communities. Oral frailty was assessed using the Oral Frailty Assessment Tool (OFAT). Grip strength and oral health indicators, including oral motor skills and masticatory function, were measured. Multivariate linear regression and interaction analyses were performed. Results: Oral frailty was prevalent in 55.5% of participants. After adjusting for confounders, oral frailty ( β = −0.42, p < 0.001) and decreased oral motor skills ( β = −0.10, p = 0.001) were independently associated with reduced grip strength. A significant interaction effect was identified between oral frailty and BMI ( β = 0.11, p = 0.006). Low BMI significantly amplified the negative impact of oral frailty on grip strength. Conclusions: Oral frailty and decreased oral motor skills are core independent factors for reduced grip strength in older adults. The synergistic effect of low BMI and oral weakness suggests that the elderly have a high‐risk phenotype of muscle strength decline. Comprehensive geriatric screening should integrate oral function and nutritional status to identify vulnerable individuals early.

Background: Oral frailty is a comprehensive indicator of age‐related oral decline, yet its heterogeneity and association to depression are poorly understood. We aimed to identify latent classes of oral frailty and evaluate the association between dietary diversity and depressive symptoms in older adults with oral frailty. Methods: We conducted a cross‐sectional study enrolling adults aged 60 years or older from urban communities in Beijing and Hebei, China. Latent class analysis was used to identify oral frailty subgroups based on the Oral Frailty Assessment Tool. We used multivariate logistic regression to analyse associations with depressive symptoms (assessed via the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9) and structural equation modelling to assess the indirect association effect of dietary diversity. Results: Between August 2024 and October 2025, 525 participants were enrolled. We identified three oral frailty classes: Multiple Problems‐High Risk ( n = 92; 18%), Structural Deficit‐Functional Compensation ( n = 289; 55%), and Oral Health Advantage ( n = 144; 27%). Compared with the Oral Health Advantage group, the risk of depressive symptoms was significantly higher in the Structural Deficit‐Functional Compensation (OR: 1.736, 95% CI: 1.129–2.669) and Multiple Problems‐High Risk groups (OR: 3.039, 95% CI: 1.695–5.450). Dietary diversity partially mediated these relationships, accounting for 21.89% and 23.40% of the total effects, respectively. Conclusions: Oral frailty in Chinese older adults presents as distinct phenotypes that are associated with depression. Strategies enhancing dietary diversity might serve as a method to improve depression risk in those with oral frailty.

Aim: To clarify the concept of oral frailty to provide a clear and standardized conceptual basis for further research in older people.Design: Rodgers and Knafl's evolutionary concept analysis approach.Methods: The narrative analysis detailedly extracted and synthesized the attributes of oral frailty, as well as its antecedents, consequences and related terms under the guidance of Rodgers' evolutionary method.Data Sources: Multiple databases including Pubmed, CINAHL and Cochrane were searched using selected search terms ‘oral frail*’, ‘oral health’ and ‘aged’ respectively. Articles written between 2013 and 2023 were included, and grey literature was excluded.Results: A total of 32 articles were included for further analysis and synthesis. The attributes of oral frailty were hypofunction, predisposing in nature, non‐specific and multidimensional. Antecedents of prefrailty were classified into four categories, namely, sociodemographic characteristics, comorbidity, physical function and psychosocial factors. Consequences of oral frailty include three themes: increased risk of adverse outcomes, poor nutritional status and possibility of social withdrawal. Related terms that had shared attributes with oral frailty were oral health, functional dentition, oral hypofunction and deterioration of oral function.Conclusions: Oral frailty is an age‐related phenomenon reflected in decreased oral function. The findings of this concept analysis are conducive to understanding and clarifying the oral frailty, which can help clinicians or other healthcare providers to consider how to distinguish oral frailty in older adults and further promote the development of this field.Impact: Oral frailty is increasingly recognized as an age‐related phenomenon reflected in decreased oral function. As it is newly proposed, no consensus has been reached regarding the theoretical and operational concept of it. Through clarifying the concept, this paper will guide future healthcare research on oral frailty regarding the influencing factors, mechanisms and interventions, thus raising the awareness with regard to oral health among older adults.What does this paper contribute to the wider global clinical community?: In the context of older adults, oral frailty is a concept that requires further research to guide future theoretical development, and the influencing factors, mechanisms and interventions need to be further studied. Raise awareness with regard to oral health among older people and more attention will be paid to the early identification and intervention of oral frailty, so as to further improve the quality of life of older adults.