SynthesisAging clinical and experimental research2025
The association between the number of teeth and frailty among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Aging clinical and experimental research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Age-Related Differences in Oral Microbiota Among Obese Patients with Periodontitis: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Oral Health Determinants of Frailty in Older Adults: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.International dental journal · 2026Pooled it
- Multi-cohort evidence linking edentulism to frailty among older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Functional Occlusal Support, Denture-Related Status and Hip Fracture Risk in Older Adults: A Large Claims-Based Cohort Study.Journal of oral rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Association Between Oral Function Limitation and Frailty-Related Functional Impairment in Older Koreans: An Analysis of KNHANES 2024.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Dental Treatment Needs in Older Adults Undergoing Acute Geriatric Care: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study of Clinical Need and Patient-Reported Wish for Dental Treatment.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Oral Function, Frailty and Mortality in Older Adults: Evidence from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016-2017.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Association between oral health and frailty among older cancer patients: a cross-sectional study.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Article
- Frailty Through a One Health Lens: Biological Sex, Mental Health, and Oral Function in Physically Active Older Adults.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Observational
- Oral health and oral health-related quality of life in community-dwelling older adults: associations with geriatric syndromes in a retrospective study.Clinical oral investigations · 2026Article
- Lip Pressure, Bite Force and Denture Use as Predictors of Oral Frailty in Physically Active Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- Frailty and oral health among middle-aged and older adults: findings from the English longitudinal study of ageing.BMC oral health · 2026Article
- A novel nutritional index and risk of edentulism: evidence from cross-sectional, prospective, and trajectory analyses.Lipids in health and disease · 2026Article
- Cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric validation of the simplified Oral Frailty Index (OFI-8) among Indonesian older adults.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Article
- Associations between oral health parameters and nutritional status in geriatric populations: An umbrella review with meta-analysis.The Japanese dental science review · 2025Review
- Article
- Interrelationships of frailty, hemoglobin, cognition, and depressive symptoms in aging: a path analysis of the ELSI-Brazil study.Cadernos de saude publica · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundTooth loss is common among the elderly and often correlates with aging. Existing studies on the link between tooth loss and frailty in older adults yield inconsistent results. This systematic review and meta-analysis aims to clarify the relationship.
methodsA comprehensive search of PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library was conducted to find observational studies on tooth count and frailty in older adults. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Heterogeneity was evaluated using Cochran's Q and I² statistics, and subgroup analyses identified factors influencing outcomes. Publication bias and sensitivity analysis confirmed result stability.
resultsFrom 1,903 articles, 22 comprising 25 studies with 36,406 participants were included. The meta-analysis showed a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.97 - 0.99) for tooth count and frailty. Individuals with 20 or fewer teeth had a higher risk of frailty (pooled OR = 1.99, 95% CI: 1.57 - 2.53). The highest frailty risk was observed in Japan (pooled OR = 3.02), followed by China (2.27), the UK and USA (1.90), and other regions (1.25). Subgroup analyses revealed no significant differences by country, study design, setting, adjustment model, or frailty assessment tool (P > 0.05).
conclusionsThere is a significant association between tooth count and frailty, particularly in those with 20 or fewer teeth. Policymakers should prioritize oral health within aging populations by promoting early preventive care and education to mitigate frailty risk. Robust, large-scale studies are needed to guide evidence-based interventions and public health policy.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.