2025 Volume 17 Issue 3 Pages 136-141
The elderly are prone to malnutrition due to decreased physical, mental, and social abilities and decreased oral intake. Sarcopenia and frailty have also attracted attention and are poor prognostic factors for various diseases, including cancer, in the elderly. In the future, it will be necessary to reduce the elderly population that has these risks and to provide appropriate nutrition therapy according to the condition of each individual patient. “Eating by mouth” is the most important medical nutrition therapy and also provides emotional support to patients. Therefore, maintaining healthy teeth and oral function is important, and nutritional therapy must be carried out under the cooperation of multiple professions, including dentistry. We hope that in the future, the Japan Prosthodontic Society and the Japanese Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutritional Therapy will share their specialized knowledge and contribute to “eating by mouth” for the elderly in particular.
