2018 Volume 68 Issue 2 Pages 76-84
This study investigated the relationship between dysphagia and the nutritional status of elderly individuals living at home when screened with Eating Assessment Tool-10 (EAT-10). A total of 129 participants (62 males, 67 females, aged 85 years) were surveyed. Participants were sent a questionnaire by mail and asked to complete and return it to the authors. Assessments included in the questionnaire were EAT-10, the self-reported number of teeth, Short-form Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF), a subjective health evaluation, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG-Index of Competence), Oral Health Impact Profile-49 (OHIP), and number of foods that can be masticated. To evaluate variation in the study’s variables, the analysis was based on established scores of EAT-10: those suspected of having dysphagia score above three; those with no suspicion of dysphagia score below two.
When screened with EAT-10, 52.7% of the participants were classified as being suspected of having dysphagia. There were significant correlations between dysphagia and a low OHIP score (p<0.001), the number of foods that can be masticated (p<0.001), subjective health evaluation (p<0.001), and MNA-SF (p=0.007).
Furthermore, logistic regression analysis revealed that the nutritional status was associated with dysphagia (p=0.043)．These findings suggest the association of dysphagia with malnutrition in elderly people living at home.
