Oral Function, Frailty and Mortality in Older Adults: Evidence from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016–2017

BACKGROUND: Oral health is an often-overlooked component of healthy ageing, as a sign of cumulative functional decline. This study explored the association between oral functional status and all-cause mortality. METHODS: = 1,016,557). Minimum dentition (MD) was defined as ≥10 teeth, prosthesis use was self-reported, and frailty was assessed using a modified Fried phenotype. Survey-weighted Cox models estimated associations with all-cause mortality, adjusting for age, sex, area, education, frailty, diabetes, and hypertension. RESULTS: In the survey-weighted Cox model, each category representing MD and/or prosthesis use was associated with lower mortality hazards compared with the reference group (<10 teeth and no prostheses): prostheses only (HR 0.17, 95% CI 0.05-0.61), MD only (HR 0.16, 95% CI 0.04-0.74), and MD with prostheses (HR 0.08, 95% CI 0.01-0.46). Increasing age and rural residence were associated with higher mortality hazards, whereas estimates for sex, education, frailty, diabetes and hypertension were imprecise and generally compatible with no clear association. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are hypothesis-generating and support further evaluation of oral functional status as a marker of broader health vulnerability in aged Chileans.