Effect of the Presence of Registered Dietitians and Dental Hygienists on the Body Weight and Activities of Daily Living of Elderly Patients with Low BMI in a Kaifukuki (Convalescent) Rehabilitation Ward.

Okamoto Y, Nishioka S, Okamoto T, Miyai I. Effect of the Presence of Registered Dietitians and Dental Hygienists on the Body Weight and Activities of Daily Living of Elderly Patients with Low BMI in a Kaifukuki (Convalescent) Rehabilitation Ward. Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 2025; 16: 46-52. Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between the presence of registered dietitians (RD) and dental hygienists (DH) and the changes in the activities of daily living and body weight in elderly patients with a low body mass index (BMI) who were admitted to a Kaifukuki (convalescent) rehabilitation ward (KRW) class 1. Methods: Patients aged 70 years or older with a BMI of less than 20.0 kg/m2, who were admitted to hospitals with a KRW class 1 as per the 2022 survey data from the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation in Post-acute Care, were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups based on the presence of DH: the RD+DH+ group and the RD+DH- group. The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gain, change in BMI, and percentage of patients with improved BMI (an increase of ≥0.7 kg/m2) were compared using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 3,329 patients (61.8% female, mean age of 83.3 years) were analyzed. The RD+DH+ group consisted of 431 patients, and the RD+DH- group consisted of 2,834 patients. No significant difference in FIM gain was found between the two groups. However, the RD+DH+ group showed significantly greater change in BMI and a higher percentage of patients with improved BMI than the RD+DH- group. Furthermore, the change in BMI and the percentage of BMI improvement were associated with the presence of RD and DH. Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that the presence of RD and DH in a KRW may improve the BMI of elderly patients.