Oral Health-Related Quality of Life, Oral Conditions, and Risk of Malnutrition in Older German People in Need of Care—A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: The present cross-sectional study assessed oral health, nutritional condition, and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in older German people in need of care. Methods: The participants were recruited from eight nursing homes (including three nursing homes with assisted living) and one mobile nursing service. Oral health, including dental status (decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMF-T), root caries), periodontal treatment needs, and prosthetic conditions, was recorded. Nutritional status was assessed using the screening of the “Mini Nutritional Assessment” (MNA). The OHRQoL was measured using the German short-form of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-G14) and summarized as a total sum score as well as the four dimensions “oral function”, “psychosocial impact”, “pain” and “orofacial appearance”. Statistics: Linear logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 151 participants (age: 84.17 ± 7.8 years) were included. Most participants (60.3%) were nursing home residents. Nearly half of the individuals (47%) were edentulous and 75.4% of the dentate subjects required periodontal treatment. A total of 115 of the subjects had at least one denture. According to the MNA screening, 107 (70.9%) older people were at risk of malnutrition or already suffered from malnutrition. The median OHIP-G14 sum score was 3 (mean 5.7 ± 7.67). Regression analysis revealed MNA to be influenced by DMF-T, D-T, M-T and OHIP G14 sum score and root caries (pi < 0.01). Within the regression model, missing teeth (β: −11.9, CI95: −6.4–−1.9; p < 0.01) were the strongest influential factor on MNA, followed by DMF-T (β: 5.1, CI95: 1.7–6.2; p < 0.01). Conclusions: Older people in nursing settings show a high prevalence of oral diseases, risk of malnutrition and nearly unimpaired OHRQoL. Dental care should be fostered in these individuals, whereby OHRQoL might be a further hint for increased risk of malnutrition.