Assessment of Oral Health Status, Cognitive Function, and Dietary Form in Older Adults Treated in Acute Care Hospitals

Background: Older inpatients in acute care hospitals often have impaired swallowing, which adversely affects nutrition and prognosis. However, limited research has ex-amined how dietary form, oral health, and functional independence interact in this population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 74 patients (mean age, 87.1 ± 6.0 years) admitted to the Department of Geriatric Medicine, Kanazawa Medical Univer-sity Hospital. Dietary form was determined by swallowing specialists using videoen-doscopic (VE) and videofluoroscopic (VF) evaluations. Oral health was assessed with the Japanese Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT-J), and functional independence was measured with the Functional Independence Measure (FIM). Logistic regression, including stepwise selection, identified predictors of dietary form. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis evaluated model discrimination. Results: Higher OHAT scores were linked to a lower likelihood of receiving a regu-lar/soft diet (adjusted OR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.54–0.89; p = 0.003), while higher FIM scores were linked to a greater likelihood (adjusted OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01–1.07; p = 0.003). Age, serum albumin, and remaining teeth were not predictors. In stepwise regression, only OHAT and FIM remained significant. Model discrimination was strong, with AUC 0.85 for the full model and 0.82 for the simplified model. Conclusions: Poor oral health and low functional independence were associated with restricted dietary forms. Combined use of OHAT-J and FIM offers a practical and reli-able method for predicting dietary form in acute care, supporting integrated oral health and functional assessments for older inpatients.