Relationship between oral rehabilitation and nutrients intake in the independent elderly: a systematic review of the literature

Objective. When investigating nutrients intake in ageing patients, a compromised dental status leading to impaired masticatory performance has been considered associated with nutrients deficiency. The aim of the study was to investigate the association between oral rehabilitation and nutrients intake in independent elderly. Methods. PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library e Tripdatabase were searched for eligible studies published between 1991 and 2020. The search comprised articles written in English, selected using the key words "denture" OR "mastication" AND "nutrition" OR "elderly". Samples of patients with age not inferior to 65 years and with independent life conditions were considered. Results. Among 1362 studies found searching the databases, 10 articles referred to 4 randomized controlled trials and 8 observational studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The overall results of the observational studies suggested that a proper oral rehabilitation provides the elderly with a higher nutrients intake. Three RCT comparing different prosthetic treatments found no difference in the nutrients intake between the two study groups. One RCT compared the effect of nutritional advice vs standard advice on dentures' maintenance: at 6 months the intervention group showed a higher intake of plant protein and a higher MNA-SF score, while the control group showed a higher intake of animal protein and vitamin B12. Conclusions. Congruous prosthetic rehabilitations alone can't assure adequate nutrients intake in the elderly, but the influence of other factors is suggested: nutritional counseling seems an important factor to improve nutrients intake and it's recommended to be associated with the prosthetic rehabilitation.