Abstract: Objective: To investigate the current status of oral frailty in elderly patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and to explore its influencing factors, so as to provide a reference for early identification of high-risk groups and delay or reduce the occurrence of oral frailty. Methods: From January to July 2024, a total of 207 elderly patients with T2DM in the Department of Endocrinology of tertiary grade A general hospital in Sichuan province were recruited as the research participants by the convenient sampling method. The Oral Frailty Index-8 scale and the Geriatric Self-efficacy Scale for Oral Health were used for investigation. Binary Logistic regression analysis were used to explore the influencing factors of oral frailty. Results: The incidence of oral frailty in elderly patients with T2DM was 45.9%. The influencing factors of oral frailty in elderly patients with T2DM included age, education level, number of natural teeth, type of chronic disease, duration of diabetes mellitus, glycosylated hemoglobin and oral health-related self-efficacy (P<0.05). Conclusion: The incidence of oral frailty in elderly patients with T2DM is high. Medical personnel should focus on high-risk groups, and develope the health education and targeted intervention measures.

Key words: elderly; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus; oral frailty; oral health; influencing factor