Scholarlink

Background <p>Tooth loss is a severe oral health condition among middle-aged and older adults and is associated with impaired mastication, nutritional problems, and reduced quality of life. Frailty—a state of increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes—may represent an underexplored factor associated with oral health outcomes, but population-based evidence from China remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the 35-item Frailty Index (FI35) and incident complete tooth loss using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).</p> Methods <p>A longitudinal cohort analysis using data from the 2015 and 2018 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study was conducted. Frailty and covariates were assessed at baseline in 2015, and incident complete tooth loss was assessed at follow-up in 2018. Participants who met the definition of complete tooth loss at baseline were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between FI35 (as a continuous variable and in quartiles) and incident complete tooth loss, with sequential adjustment for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Restricted cubic splines were employed to explore nonlinear dose–response patterns. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests were applied to examine effect modification.</p> Results <p>During the three-year follow-up, 603 (6.03%) participants developed incident complete tooth loss. In the fully adjusted model, Each 0.1-unit increase in baseline FI35 was associated with 16% higher odds of incident complete tooth loss (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07–1.25, <i>P</i> &lt; 0.001). Compared with participants in the lowest quartile, those in the highest quartile had 78% higher odds of incident complete tooth loss (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.35–2.33; P for trend &lt; 0.001). Restricted cubic spline analysis suggested a nonlinear association (P for overall = 0.002, P for nonlinear = 0.034). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested possible heterogeneity by age (P for interaction = 0.032), although this finding should be interpreted cautiously.</p> Conclusion <p>Higher baseline FI35 was associated with greater odds of incident complete tooth loss during the three-year follow-up among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Further studies incorporating objective oral-health assessments are needed to confirm these findings and clarify the underlying pathways.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Association of frailty index with incident complete tooth loss among middle-aged and older Chinese adults: a longitudinal cohort study based on CHARLS

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月10日

查看全文
  • Guisheng Luo,
  • Xiaoming Li,
  • Zhen Wang,
  • Qixin Chen

摘要

Background

Tooth loss is a severe oral health condition among middle-aged and older adults and is associated with impaired mastication, nutritional problems, and reduced quality of life. Frailty—a state of increased vulnerability to adverse health outcomes—may represent an underexplored factor associated with oral health outcomes, but population-based evidence from China remains limited. This study aimed to evaluate the association between the 35-item Frailty Index (FI35) and incident complete tooth loss using data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS).

Methods

A longitudinal cohort analysis using data from the 2015 and 2018 waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study was conducted. Frailty and covariates were assessed at baseline in 2015, and incident complete tooth loss was assessed at follow-up in 2018. Participants who met the definition of complete tooth loss at baseline were excluded. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between FI35 (as a continuous variable and in quartiles) and incident complete tooth loss, with sequential adjustment for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities. Restricted cubic splines were employed to explore nonlinear dose–response patterns. Subgroup analyses and interaction tests were applied to examine effect modification.

Results

During the three-year follow-up, 603 (6.03%) participants developed incident complete tooth loss. In the fully adjusted model, Each 0.1-unit increase in baseline FI35 was associated with 16% higher odds of incident complete tooth loss (OR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.07–1.25, P < 0.001). Compared with participants in the lowest quartile, those in the highest quartile had 78% higher odds of incident complete tooth loss (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.35–2.33; P for trend < 0.001). Restricted cubic spline analysis suggested a nonlinear association (P for overall = 0.002, P for nonlinear = 0.034). Exploratory subgroup analyses suggested possible heterogeneity by age (P for interaction = 0.032), although this finding should be interpreted cautiously.

Conclusion

Higher baseline FI35 was associated with greater odds of incident complete tooth loss during the three-year follow-up among middle-aged and older Chinese adults. Further studies incorporating objective oral-health assessments are needed to confirm these findings and clarify the underlying pathways.