This study will focus on community-dwelling elderly individuals and will follow the community screening process recommended by AWGS.
It is expected to recruit 100 individuals who may have sarcopenia and 300 healthy or sub-healthy elderly individuals who are not likely to have sarcopenia, totaling 400 participants.Basic data such as age and body composition will be collected, as well as dietary records (three days), nutritional status assessments (Mini Nutritional Assessment, MNA), and oral health status records (including records of missing teeth, the number of opposing teeth, and whether participants wear fixed or removable dentures).
Chewing and swallowing abilities will be recorded using the Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). In a non-invasive manner, saliva samples will be collected for genomic DNA (gDNA) extraction, followed by quantitative gDNA typing analysis of seven gene loci (shown in Table 3).
Genotype data will be statistically analyzed along with participants' basic information, relevant sarcopenia screening data, and parameters related to oral health and swallowing function. This study adopts a case-control experimental design with the following objectives:
1. to explore the incidence of possible sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly.
2. to investigate the relationship between oral function and possible sarcopenia in community-dwelling elderly using tongue pressure measurements.
3. to understand the correlation between sarcopenia risk in community-dwelling elderly and seven specific genes.
4. to examine the relationship between oral function and seven specific genes in community-dwelling elderly.
5. to investigate the relationship between tongue pressure measurements and the values measured using edible chewing gum.
6. to establish a standard test for evaluating oral chewing function using edible chewing gum.
By examining the possible mechanisms of the different genes involved in the causes of sarcopenia, we aim to find prevention strategies that are suitable for participants with different gene types.