[Association between depressive tendencies and oral diadochokinesis in the older adults in private residential nursing home].

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between depressive tendencies and oral diadochokinesis (ODK) in 24 older adults living in a private residential nursing home. ODK is an indicator of the oral function.

Methods: Depressive tendencies were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale 5, with scores of two or higher indicating probable depression. ODK was measured across four syllable tasks (/pa/, /ta/, /ka/, and /pataka/), which were evaluated using coefficient of variation (CV) values. Low CV values indicate superior performance. Potential confounders, including the cognitive function, sleep status, body mass index, instrumental activities of daily living, and physical function, were controlled.

Results: Five participants (20.8%) experienced depression. Individuals with depressive tendencies demonstrated significantly poor ODK performance (higher CV) in the /ta/ task and a marginally significant difference in the /ka/ task. No significant differences were observed between /pa/ and /pataka/.

Conclusions: These findings suggest a link between depressive tendencies and reduced proficiency in specific ODK tasks among older nursing home residents. This finding implies that a decline in the oral function in articulating /ta/ and /ka/ syllables may precede other common depressive symptoms. Furthermore, depression monitoring could be a valuable tool for early detection of the oral function in this population, enabling timely interventions.