| This expert consensus was developed to standardize community-based screening and graded assessment of oral hypofunction in older adults in China and to complement the previously published Chinese expert consensus on screening and dietary rehabilitation prescription for oral hypofunction(2025)as a series.A multidisciplinary working group comprising experts in dentistry,rehabilitation medicine,clinical nutrition,geriatrics and public health systematically reviewed relevant literature and guidelines,took into account the realities of community and specialist healthcare services in China,and graded the evidence and strength of recommendations according to principles of evidence-based medicine.Based on the existing definitions and staging framework of oral hypofunction,the present consensus emphasizes a graded pathway of"community-led screening with specialist-supported evaluation"and proposes seven new consensus statements.These statements clarify the pathway of community screening,primary care evaluation and specialist diagnosis;recommend the SOFT scale as the first-line community screening tool for oral hypofunction in older adults;and provide practical recommendations for assessment methods and referral strategies across five functional domains,including oral hygiene,periodontal/gingival health,masticatory function,swallowing function and tongue-lip motor function.Together with the dietary rehabilitation prescription consensus,this assessment-focused document forms a complementary series that may help clinicians,community health workers,dietitians and long-term care providers implement standardized management of oral hypofunction in older adults. |
