BMC Oral Health· 2026Q1
The association between oral health and frailty in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review
- 0citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Poor subjective oral health, tooth loss, and impaired oral function are consistently associated with frailty in community-dwelling older adults, according to a systematic review of 28 observational studies.
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Key points
- Poor subjective oral health, tooth loss, and impaired oral function are consistently associated with frailty in community-dwelling older adults.
- Tooth loss and fewer remaining teeth showed the strongest associations with both prevalent and incident frailty.
- Evidence for associations with periodontal disease, denture use, and oral diadochokinesis was inconclusive.
- Oral health assessment may help identify frailty risk and inform healthy aging strategies.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Poor oral health is common among community-dwelling older adults and has been associated with frailty. However, evidence regarding the association between specific oral health indicators and frailty remains unclear. This systematic review aimed to summarize the current evidence on the association between oral health and frailty among community-dwelling older adults. PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science were searched from inception to September 13, 2024. Studies assessing the association between oral health and frailty among community-dwelling older adults were included. Study quality was evaluated using the NIH Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies, and evidence was synthesized narratively. A total of 28 observational studies was included, comprising 19 cross-sectional and 9 cohort studies. Poor subjective oral health, tooth loss, and impaired oral function were consistently associated with frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Tooth loss and fewer remaining teeth showed the most consistent associations with both prevalent and incident frailty, whereas evidence regarding periodontal disease, denture use, and oral diadochokinesis remained inconclusive due to methodological heterogeneity and limited longitudinal data. Poor subjective oral health, tooth loss, and impaired oral function were associated with frailty among community-dwelling older adults. Oral health assessment may contribute to frailty risk identification and healthy aging strategies. Further longitudinal studies using standardized measures are needed to clarify the relationship between oral health and frailty.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. BMC Oral Health, 2026 · DOI ↗
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