Background: The impact of poor oral health in older adults affecting their quality of life is a public health problem. This study assessed the mediating effects of dental status, occlusal condition, dysphagia and masticatory performance on the association between xerostomia and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in the older population. Methods: Stratified cluster sampling method was used to recuit 1100 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older from Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Community care centers were randomly selected based on their geographic classifications (urban, rural, and mountainous areas). Assessments of dental status and occlusal condition were performed by dentists. Information on demographics, physical function, xerostomia dysphagia and depression was collected using face-to-face interview. Masticatory performance was evaluated using color-changeable chewing gum. OHRQoL was measured using Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index. Hierarchical regression models were utilized to assess the relationship between OHRQoL and physical function, dental status and oral function in older adults. Path analysis was used to estimate direct and indirect pathways between xerostomia and OHRQoL.Results: Participants with xerostomia had a 0.17 OHRQoL reduction (p< .001) comparing to the non-xerostomia, and the direct effect was accounted for 85.0% of the total effect. The dysphagia and the poor masticatory performance were found to have a significant mediating effect on the association between xerostomia and OHRQoL (βs = 0.17 and −0.09, respectively, both p< .001; βs = 0.05 and −0.08, respectively, both p< .001) moreover, potential mediating influences of the number of functional teeth (βs = −0.11 and −0.44, respectively, both p < .001) and poor occlusal condition (βs = 0.09 and 0.12, respectively, both p < .05) on the relationship between xerostomia and masticatory performance were obervered.Conclusions: Dysphagia and poor masticatory performance may serve as a pathway of which xerostomia affects quality of life. Providing early oral function intervention may be a valuable and actionable target for older adults to maintain their quality of life. Our results further suggest that checkup and screening for oral dysfunction is essential to prevent or delay the onset of complications.