3.5-Year follow-up, handgrip strength in three contexts

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the changes in hand grip strength after the installation of removable dental prostheses in elderly octogenarians, according to the baseline dental condition.

Methods: A longitudinal study was conducted on 87 octogenarian individuals rehabilitated with removable dental prostheses. Three groups were compared: C3, completely edentulous; C2R, edentulous with tooth roots in group V restored with glass ionomer; and C2Th, with remaining teeth in group V. Handgrip strength (kg) was measured using a JAMAR dynamometer at baseline and at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, and 42 months after prosthetic rehabilitation. General linear models adjusted for sex and age were fitted at the 95% significance level using SAS 9.4 software.

Results: The sample included n=87 octogenarians, 49 women (56.3%) and 38 men (43.7%), with a mean age of 84.1 years (C, C2R, and C2Th, n=29 each). Baseline hand grip strength was similar across groups (C2Th: 4.55 kg; C2R: 4.52 kg; C3: 4.37 kg). Significant and progressive effects over time were observed, as well as a measurement*group interaction (p<0.0001). At 42 months, adjusted means were higher in C2Th (12.16 kg) and C2R (11.71 kg) than in C3 (8.47 kg). The increase from baseline was 7.61 kg, 7.19 kg, and 4.11 kg, respectively. C2Th and C2R significantly outperformed C3, with no significant difference between C2Th and C2R.

Conclusions: Octogenarian oral rehabilitation with removable prostheses was associated with a sustained improvement in handgrip strength, particularly among individuals with remaining teeth or tooth roots. This highlights the value of tooth root retention