The demand for home dental care is increasing, but how it should be involved in the continuation of life at home for elderly people who need care has not been examined. Therefore, we examined whether items examined by dentists can affect hospitalization and death. The study included 239 patients with oral intake. They were divided into regular and non-regular diet groups, and ages, nutritional statuses, activities of daily living (ADLs), Charlson Comorbidity Indexes (CCI) and swallowing functions were compared. The nutritional statuses and ADLs of the three groups at the first visit and after one year were compared. The groups included those with stable, declined and improved diet forms. Factors influencing hospitalization and death over three years were examined. Nutritional status, swallowing function, CCI and ADLs were worse in the non-regular diet group. The declined diet form group had lower ADL levels and nutritional statuses at the first visit. A proportional hazards analysis showed significant differences in the changes in diet form for the stable and declined groups related to hospitalization (hazard ratio (HR): 6.53) and death (HR: 3.76). Changes in diet form were thought to affect hospitalization and death, and it is worthwhile to assess swallowing function in home dental care.

Background: Oral health in older adults is often compromised by age‐related changes, such as oral frailty and systemic comorbidities. Consequently, older patients requiring home‐visit dental care, mostly due to eating‐related problems, may show stage‐dependent differences in oral conditions and dental care priorities. Objective: To clarify care phase‐specific dental care needs among older patients receiving home‐visit dental care. Methods: This multicenter cross‐sectional study included 356 older patients who received home‐visit dental care for eating‐related problems at acute‐care ( n = 119), convalescent‐care ( n = 144) and community‐based care facilities ( n = 93) between April 2016 and March 2020. Data collected at the initial visit included demographic and clinical characteristics, number of functional teeth, Oral Health Assessment Tool ( OHAT ) score, feeding and swallowing function, nutritional intake method, reasons for referral and dental care judged to be of the highest priority. Differences among care phases were analysed. Results: Patient age increased significantly with care phase. The number of functional teeth and OHAT scores were most favourable in the convalescent phase. Feeding and swallowing function and nutritional intake improved significantly from the acute to community‐based phases. Swallowing rehabilitation and oral hygiene management were the most common reasons for referral and priority interventions in the acute phase; removable prosthetic treatment predominated the convalescent phase, and diverse needs were observed in the community‐based phase, where removable prosthetic treatment was most frequently prioritized. Conclusion: Dental care needs and priorities in home‐visit dental care vary according to care phase, underscoring the importance of phase‐specific dental management among older adults.