Consistency of supplied food and dentition status of the elderly in residential care homes

BACKGROUND: The association between oral health and malnutrition has been investigated in detail. The nutrition of elderly subjects in residential care homes is determined by caregivers, dietitians or nutritionists and managed by changing the consistency of their supplied food. However, few reports have described the relationship between oral condition and supplied food consistency. The objective of this study was to determine dentition status and care levels that correlate with supplied food consistency among elderly residents of care facilities. In addition, we estimated the care level at which ordinary food consistency can be supplied by caregivers who cannot diagnose dental status. METHOD: Several factors, including dentition, wearing removable dentures, meals categorized as ordinary or processed (sliced, mashed, or liquefied), and care levels according to the Japanese standardized care-needs certification system were investigated in 276 elderly residents (male, n = 56; female, n = 220; mean age, 87.68 ± 5.94 years) of 12 fee-based care facilities. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that care levels were significantly correlated with the consistency of the food supplied to the residents. When supplied food consistency was categorized as ordinary or processed, the number of remaining teeth and the number of tooth contact pairs, either natural or artificial, were statistically significant. From logistic regression analysis, it was determined that the numbers of tooth contact pairs were statistically significant among residents requiring high levels of care. CONCLUSION: The number of tooth contact pairs, either natural or artificial, was one of the contributing factors for deciding supplied food consistency among elderly residents of care facilities. Elderly residents requiring less than care level 3 should have ordinary meals. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12903-019-0770-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.