The Association Between Tongue Pressure and Body Mass Index, Lower-Limb Muscle Strength, and Muscle Mass in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background and objective Tongue pressure (TP) is an objective and quantitative measure of tongue function, and low TP is recognized as a component of oral hypofunction. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to estimate the proportion of community-dwelling older adults who met the existing cutoff for low TP and to examine associations between TP, lower-limb muscle strength, BMI, and muscle mass. Methods This study included 447 independently ambulatory adults aged ≥ 70 years. TP was measured with a standardized tongue-pressure device. Lower-limb muscle strength was assessed using toe gap and knee gap force, and muscle mass was evaluated using a body composition analyzer. Participants were stratified by fall-risk classification (based on lower-limb muscle strength) and muscle mass relative to the sample mean. Group comparisons were conducted using analysis of variance and independent-samples t-tests. Results More than half of the participants (53.0%) had low TP (<30 kPa). Participants at fall risk based on low toe or knee gap force had significantly lower TP than those not at risk. TP was higher in participants with muscle mass above the mean, and this difference was significant in males. Although lower BMI was associated with low TP, TP differences were more consistent across muscle mass and lower-limb strength classifications. Conclusions Low TP was associated with decreased muscle mass and lower-limb muscle strength in community-dwelling older adults. These findings suggest that TP may be related to systemic muscle function rather than oral function alone.