Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35585618›Full record

ArticleBMC oral health2022

Tooth retention, health, and quality of life in older adults: a scoping review.

Adejare Jay Atanda, Alicia A Livinski, Steven D London, Shahdokht Boroumand, Darien Weatherspoon, Timothy J Iafolla, Bruce A Dye

Abstract readScoping Review
In one paragraph

Article in BMC oral health, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 40 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
40citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

40 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Evaluation of oral health-related quality of life following pulp therapy or extraction in paediatric patients: a systematic review.European archives of paediatric dentistry : official journal of the European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Adejare Jay AtandaNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Dr., Suite 5B55, Bethesda, MD, USA. j.atanda@gmail.com.
Alicia A LivinskiNational Institutes of Health Library, Office of Research Services, OD, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Steven D LondonNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Dr., Suite 5B55, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Shahdokht BoroumandNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Dr., Suite 5B55, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Darien WeatherspoonSchool of Dentistry, University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Timothy J IafollaNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Dr., Suite 5B55, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Bruce A DyeNational Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 31 Center Dr., Suite 5B55, Bethesda, MD, USA. Bruce.Dye@nih.gov.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThis scoping review describes the relationship between tooth retention, health, and quality of life in older adults.

methodsSeven databases were searched for English language articles for subjects ≥ 65 y from 1981 to 2021. Exposure was tooth retention (≥ 20), and outcomes were general/systemic health and quality of life. Methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale and Cochrane Risk of Bias 2.0 tool.

results140 articles were included, only four were randomized trials. Inter-rater agreement (κ) regarding study inclusion was 0.924. Most were assessed with low risk of bias (n = 103) and of good quality (n = 96). Most studies were conducted in Japan (n = 60) and Europe (n = 51) and only nine in the US. Tooth retention was referred to as "functional dentition" in 132 studies and "shortened dental arch" in 19 studies. Study outcomes were broadly synthesized as (1) cognitive decline/functional dependence, (2) health status/chronic diseases, (3) nutrition, and (4) quality of life. DISCUSSION: There is a positive relationship between tooth retention, overall health, and quality of life. Older adults retaining ≥ 20 teeth are less likely to experience poorer health. Having < 20 teeth increases the likelihood for functional dependence and onset of disability, and may affect successful ageing. This review supports the general finding that the more teeth older adults retain as they age, the less likely they are to have adverse health outcomes. However, significant knowledge gaps remain which can limit decision-making affecting successful ageing for many older adults. This review highlights the need to consider, as an important marker of oral health and function, the retention of a functional minimum of a natural dentition, rather than a simple numeric score of missing teeth.

Indexed as

Mouth, EdentulousTooth LossAgedHumansNutritional StatusOral HealthQuality of LifeFunctional dentitionQuality of lifeShortened dental archTooth lossTooth retention

Identifiers

PMID35585618
PMCPMC9118621

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

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 OpenQuestion graph.