Parisius K G, Verhoeff M C, Lobbezoo F et al. Towards an operational definition of oral frailty: A e-Delphi study. Arch Gerontol Geriatr 2023; DOI: 10.1016/j.archger.2023.105181.

Linked to psychological or physical frailty?

The risk of oral health problems increases with age. 'Age-related functional decline of the oro-facial structures' is termed oral frailty. There is currently limited agreement among experts on what the key components of oral frailty are. This e-Delphi study aimed to establish consensus on the key components of oral frailty, in order to develop an operational definition.

Fifty-one components were reviewed, 17 of which were sourced from previous literature and 34 from panel suggestions. Eight items in four categories were finally agreed upon:

  1. 1.

    Mastication - difficulty eating tough or hard foods; an inability to chew all types of food

  2. 2.

    Swallowing - decreased ability to swallow solid foods and liquids; poor swallowing function

  3. 3.

    Oral motor skill - impaired tongue movement; speech or phonatory disorders

  4. 4.

    Salivation - hyposalivation; xerostomia.