Association between periodontal disease and intrinsic capacity in older adults: insights from NHANES 2009–2014

Periodontal disease (PD) is a chronic inflammatory condition linked to systemic health issues, yet its relationship with intrinsic capacity (IC)—a key determinant of healthy aging—remained underexplored. The present study investigated the associations between moderate/severe PD and IC domains in older adults in a cross-sectional analysis from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009–2014. From the 30,468 NHANES subjects, we included participants aged ≥ 60 years with available PD and IC data. IC was assessed across five domains: locomotion, cognition, psychological well-being (depressive symptoms/anhedonia), sensory function (vision/hearing), and vitality (nutrition/weight loss). PD was classified as moderate or severe using CDC/AAP criteria. After applying exclusion criteria, 551 participants were included in the analyses. The prevalence of PD was 68.97% (moderate PD:51.91%/severe PD:15.06%). Severe PD was associated with reduced locomotion [odds ratio(OR):2.30, 95% confidence interval(CI):1.27–4.16), impaired psychological well-being (depressive symptoms) (OR:1.79, 95%CI:1.01–3.16), and sensory function (vision) (OR:2.37, 95%CI:1.24–4.56), while moderate PD was linked to reduced locomotion (OR:1.66, 95%CI:1.06–2.66) and impaired sensory function (hearing) (OR:1.93, 95%CI:1.04–3.75). Higher mean clinical attachment loss and probing pocket depth (PPD) were associated with reduced locomotion (OR:1.15, 95%CI:1.00–1.31 and OR:1.35, 95%CI:1.05–1.73, respectively). Mediation analysis indicated that multimorbidity had minimal influence on these associations, except for stroke, accounting for 13.3% of the relationship between mean PPD and locomotion. The present findings highlighted the potential role of periodontal health in maintaining overall functional capacity in older adults, underscoring the need for integrated oral and systemic health strategies in aging populations.