Prevalence of chewing difficulty in older people in long‐term care: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

Background: Many factors can influence chewing, including age. The ageing process causes morphophysiological changes in the body, including in the performance of the stomatognathic system, which directly affect chewing and swallowing.Objective: To determine the prevalence of chewing difficulty in older people in longterm care. Methods:We searched six electronic databases and the grey literature. Qualitative and quantitative analyses, including risk of bias, were performed on studies that met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis of proportions with a random effects model was performed, and heterogeneity was explored by meta-regression. Risk of bias was determined using the Joanna Briggs Institute's Critical Appraisal Checklist. The certainty of evidence was verified using the GRADE tool.Results: Twelve articles were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence estimate was 35% (95% confidence interval, 0.19-0.54). As heterogeneity still persisted even after sensitivity analysis, the predictors of mean sample age and sample size were meta-regressed to assess whether these covariates explained the variance between effect sizes. The covariable sample size of the study included in the analysis explained 84.3% of the heterogeneity existing in the analysis (R 2 = 84.3%; P = .0008).The risk of bias was low in three studies, eight studies had a moderate risk of bias and one study had a high risk of bias. As for the prevalence of chewing difficulty, the GRADE criteria were considered very low. Conclusion:About one in three older people in long-term care have difficulty in chewing.

Chewing difficulty and frailty trajectories in Chinese nursing home residents: A prospective cohort study

“…Chewing difficulty is pervasive among nursing home residents, with a pooled prevalence of 35%. 23 However, in nursing homes, residents often lack access to daily oral care to maintain oral hygiene, let alone oral care provided by dental health professionals. 24 Therefore, whether and to which extent chewing difficulty affects the course of frailty is subject to further studies.…”

“…Moreover, there is a paucity of such evidence deriving from nursing home residents. Chewing difficulty is pervasive among nursing home residents, with a pooled prevalence of 35% 23 . However, in nursing homes, residents often lack access to daily oral care to maintain oral hygiene, let alone oral care provided by dental health professionals 24 .…”

Efeitos dos serviços assistidos por equinos no sistema imunológico, estomatognático e na capacidade funcional de adultos mais velhos: estudo longitudinal

“…Os estímulos tridimensionais, proporcionados pelo passo do cavalo, promovem ganho de força e tônus muscular que podem, inclusive, repercutir na musculatura da face (VALLE; NISHIMORI; NEMR, 2014). Assim, o aumento clínico dos valores médios da força de mordida molar, pós-Programa, é desejável, especialmente para uma população que apresenta déficit na capacidade mastigatória (ABREU et al, 2022;RIGHETTI et al, 2020b). Todavia, um Programa mais longo é necessário para verificar se esse tratamento é capaz de prover aumento estatístico na força de mordida molar máxima.…”

“…A involução morfofuncional que leva ao no gradual declínio na capacidade funcional do indivíduo, afeta a maioria dos sistemas, dentre eles o imunológico e estomatognático (ABREU et al, 2022;PAWELEC, 2018).…”