The aim of this systematic review was to examine the association between malnutrition and oral health in older people (≥ 60 years of age). A comprehensive systematic literature search was performed in four databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source, and Embase) for literature from January 2000 to May 2020. Both observational and intervention studies were screened for eligibility. Two reviewers independently screened the search results to identify potential eligible studies, and assessed the methodological quality of the full-text studies. A total of 3240 potential studies were identified. After judgement for relevance, 10 studies (cross-sectional (n = 9), prospective cohort (n = 1)) met the inclusion criteria. Three studies described malnourished participants as having fewer teeth, or functional (tooth) units (FTUs), compared to well-nourished participants. Four studies reported soft tissue problems in malnourished participants, including red tongue with blisters, and dry or cracked lips. Subjective oral health was the topic in six studies, with poorer oral health and negative self-perception of oral health in malnourished elderly participants. There are associations between (at risk of) malnutrition and oral health in older people, categorized in hard and soft tissue conditions of the mouth, and subjective oral health. Future research should be focused on longitudinal cohort studies with proper determination of malnutrition and oral health assessments, in order to evaluate the actual association between malnutrition and oral health in older people.

Background: Regular inspection of the oral cavity is required for prevention, early diagnosis and risk reduction of oral- and general health-related problems. Assessments to inspect the oral cavity have been designed for non-dental healthcare professionals, like nurses. The purpose of this systematic review was to evaluate the content and the measurement properties of oral health assessments for use by non-dental healthcare professionals in assessing older peoples’ oral health, in order to provide recommendations for practice, policy, and research. Methods: A systematic search in PubMed, EMBASE.com, and Cinahl (via Ebsco) has been performed. Search terms referring to ‘oral health assessments^’, ‘non-dental healthcare professionals’ and ‘older people (60+)’ were used. Two reviewers individually performed title/abstract, and full-text screening for eligibility. The included studies have investigated at least one measurement property (validity/reliability) and were evaluated on their methodological quality using “The Consensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments” (COSMIN) checklist. The measurement properties were then scored using quality criteria (positive/negative/indeterminate). Results: Out of 879 hits, 18 studies were included in this review. Five studies showed good methodological quality on at least one measurement property and 14 studies showed poor methodological quality on some of their measurement properties. None of the studies assessed all measurement properties of the COSMIN. In total eight oral health assessments were found: the Revised Oral Assessment Guide (ROAG); the Minimum Data Set (MDS), with oral health component; the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT); The Holistic Reliable Oral Assessment Tool (THROAT); Dental Hygiene Registration (DHR); Mucosal Plaque Score (MPS); The Brief Oral Health Screening Examination (BOHSE) and the Oral Assessment Sheet (OAS). Most frequently assessed items were: lips, mucosa membrane, tongue, gums, teeth, denture, saliva, and oral hygiene. Conclusion: Taken into account the scarce evidence of the proposed assessments, the OHAT and ROAG are most complete in their included oral health items and are of best methodological quality in combination with positive quality criteria on their measurement properties. Non-dental healthcare professionals, policymakers and researchers should be aware of the methodological limitations of the available oral health assessments and realize that the quality of the measurement properties remains uncertain.

Malnutrition adversely influences a broad range of physical and psychological symptoms. Although polypharmacy is often mentioned to be associated with malnutrition, especially in older people it is unclear to what extent. The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the extent of the association between polypharmacy and malnutrition in older people. The methodology followed the guidelines of the Cochrane Collaboration. Literature search was performed in PubMed, CINAHL and Embase. The population of interest for this systematic review were people of 65 years and older with polypharmacy. Because there is ambiguity with regard to the actual definition of malnutrition and polypharmacy, in this systematic review all articles describing malnutrition prevalence rates were included, regardless of the criteria used. Both observational and intervention studies were screened for eligibility. Selection and quality assessment of the included full text studies was assessed by two reviewers independently. A level of evidence and methodological quality score was adjudged to each article based on this assessment. A total of 3126 studies were retrieved by the literature search, of which seven studies were included in this systematic review. There was considerable variation in the definition of polypharmacy between studies. Two studies defined polypharmacy as the use of five or more drugs, two studies as the use of six or more drugs, two studies provided a mean and standard deviation that corresponded to the minimum of five drugs, and one study distinguished between polypharmacy (five or more drugs) and excessive polypharmacy (ten or more drugs). However, all studies showed a statistically significant association between (the risk) of becoming malnourished and polypharmacy regardless the instrument or criterion used to define risk of malnutrition. Studies presented the associations respectively as OR ≥ 1.177, p-value ≤ 0.028, β ≥ -0.62 and r ≥ -0.31. This review demonstrated a statistically significant association between polypharmacy and malnutrition. Further research is required to determine the magnitude of the effect by increased number of drugs in combination with the type of drugs, on the risk of malnutrition.

Background: Early childhood caries is considered one of the most prevalent diseases in childhood, affecting almost half of preschool-age children globally. In the Netherlands, approximately one-third of children aged 5 years already have dental caries, and dental care providers experience problems reaching out to these children. Objective: Within the proposed trial, we aim to test the hypothesis that, compared to children who receive usual care, children who receive the Toddler Oral Health Intervention as add-on care will have a reduced cumulative caries incidence and caries incidence density at the age of 48 months. Methods: This pragmatic, 2-arm, individually randomized controlled trial is being conducted in the Netherlands and has been approved by the Medical Ethics Research Board of University Medical Center Utrecht. Parents with children aged 6 to 12 months attending 1 of the 9 selected well-baby clinics are invited to participate. Only healthy children (ie, not requiring any form of specialized health care) with parents that have sufficient command of the Dutch language and have no plans to move outside the well-baby clinic region are eligible. Both groups receive conventional oral health education in well-baby clinics during regular well-baby clinic visits between the ages of 6 to 48 months. After concealed random allocation of interventions, the intervention group also receives the Toddler Oral Health Intervention from an oral health coach. The Toddler Oral Health Intervention combines behavioral interventions of proven effectiveness in caries prevention. Data are collected at baseline, at 24 months, and at 48 months. The primary study endpoint is cumulative caries incidence for children aged 48 months, and will be analyzed according to the intention-to-treat principle. For children aged 48 months, the balance between costs and effects of the Toddler Oral Health Intervention will be evaluated, and for children aged 24 months, the effects of the Toddler Oral Health Intervention on behavioral determinants, alongside cumulative caries incidence, will be compared. Results: The first parent-child dyads were enrolled in June 2017, and recruitment was finished in June 2019. We enrolled 402 parent-child dyads. Conclusions: All follow-up interventions and data collection will be completed by the end of 2022, and the trial results are expected soon thereafter. Results will be shared at international conferences and via peer-reviewed publication. Trial Registration: Netherlands Trial Register NL8737; https://trialsearch.who.int/Trial2.aspx?TrialID=NL8737

There is growing evidence for the beneficial effects of starting oral health prevention early in life. Preventing dental caries in very young children requires considerable investment from parents. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to explore parents’ willingness to pay (WTP) and willingness to invest in time (WTIT) for primary oral health prevention in preschool children and describe whether these are related to the parents’ demographic, socio-economic and behavioural characteristics. In a convenience sample of parents of preschool children aged six months to four years (n = 142), data were collected with questionnaires. On average, parents were willing to pay EUR15.84 per month, invest time for 1.9 dental visits per year, and spend 2.4 min per day brushing their child’s teeth. A higher education level of the mother and having a child older than two were associated with a higher WTIT in brushing minutes per day (p = 0.03). In addition, parents who brushed their child’s teeth more frequently were also more willing to invest in brushing minutes (p < 0.01) and money (p < 0.01). Findings emphasise the importance of early oral health interventions and the need to increase awareness of primary prevention’s importance in maintaining healthy teeth and reducing possibly oral health inequalities.

Introduction: Poor oral health can influence an individual's dietary intake, which may result in malnutrition. Both problems in oral health and function and malnutrition are common in older people. The aim of the present study was to explore the associations between oral health and oral function and malnutrition in community‐dwelling older people within three different databases.Methods: Data analyses were performed on three existing Dutch databases (Interrai: n = 3876, LPZ: n = 966, PRIMa mouth CARE: n = 975). Logistic regressions (adjusted for age and gender) tested the relation between oral health and oral function (independent variable) and malnutrition (dependent variable).Results: Problems in oral health and oral function such as broken teeth (OR: 1.43 [95%CI: 1.12–1.81]), oral pain and discomfort (OR: 2.58 [95%CI: 1.52–4.39]), chewing difficulties (OR: 1.99 [95%CI: 1.54–2.57]), swallowing problems (OR: 6.63 [95%CI: 2.85–15.42]), coughing (OR: 6.05 [95%CI: 2.08–17.61]) and food adaptations (OR: 5.46 [95%CI: 2.60–11.4]) were found to be significantly associated with malnutrition in older people.Conclusions: This study demonstrated a significant link between oral health problems and oral function with malnutrition in community‐dwelling older people. Oral health care and healthcare professionals need to consider oral health and oral function in relation to nutritional status and vice versa in community‐dwelling older people.