SynthesisThe journal of nutrition, health & aging2022
Oral Health, Loneliness and Social Isolation. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in The journal of nutrition, health & aging, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 29 papers, 2 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.
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Who cites it
29 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association of Social Support With Oral Health in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Gerodontology · 2026Pooled it
- Multi-cohort evidence linking edentulism to frailty among older adults.Scientific reports · 2025Pooled it
- Moderating Effects of Oral Bacteria and Tooth Loss on Cognitive Performance.JDR clinical and translational research · 2026Article
- Does Oral Health Status Predict Incident Frailty Over the 13-Year Follow-Up in Older Adults in England?Community dentistry and oral epidemiology · 2026Article
- Oral functional limitation and risk of frailty onset in older adults: a sex-stratified 4-Year cohort study with competing risk analysis.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Social Determinants and Oral Health Among Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Older Adults in La Araucanía, Chile: Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR aging · 2026Article
- Loneliness, Chronic Conditions, and Healthcare Engagement in Japan: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study.JMA journal · 2026Article
- Oral health, dietary variety, homebound status, and intrinsic capacity among community-dwelling older adults.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2026Article
- oral functional limitation and long-term frailty trajectories: a 6-year cohort study of community-dwelling older adults in Korea.GeroScience · 2026Article
- Influence of general orthodontic treatment need and of specific anterior malocclusions on oral health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with class II malocclusion : A cross-sectional multicenter cohort study.Journal of orofacial orthopedics = Fortschritte der Kieferorthopadie : Organ/official journal Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Kieferorthopadie · 2026Article
- Social Capital and Oral Health-Related Quality of Life: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Periodontitis Patients in Isfahan, Iran.International journal of dental hygiene · 2026Article
- Loneliness and Its Association with Depression, Aspiration Risk, and Conversation in Japanese Older Adults.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Sex differences in the association between tooth loss and socioeconomic status: the 8020 Promotion Foundation Study of Japanese Dental Patients.BMC oral health · 2026Observational
- Trends and inequalities in age-standardized prevalence rate of edentulism among members of European Union between 1990 and 2021.BMC oral health · 2025Article
- Oral health knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among dental students in a Palestinian dental school: a cross-sectional study using the HU-DBI.BMC medical education · 2025Article
- The Global Burden of Periodontal Disease: A Narrative Review on Unveiling Socioeconomic and Health Challenges.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Review
- Determinants of the number of dental visits in the general adult population in Germany during the COVID-19 pandemic.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Incidence of Tooth Loss in Remote Indigenous Populations of the Amazon Region: A 13-Year Cohort Study Before and After Belo Monte Dam.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Factors affecting oral frailty and nutritional status in older adults living alone.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Oral Function, Loneliness, Depression, and Social Participation Among Physically Disabled Middle-Aged and Older Adult Individuals: Insights from a Japanese Cross-Sectional Study.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThus far, some empirical studies have investigated the association between oral health and loneliness as well as social isolation. However, a systematic review and meta-analysis is lacking synthesizing this evidence. Hence, our purpose was to close this knowledge gap.
designSystematic review and meta-analysis. SETTING AND
participantsObservational studies examining the association between oral health and loneliness or social isolation were included. Disease-specific samples were excluded.
methodsWe searched three electronic databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL), and did an additional hand search. Data extraction covered methods, sample characteristics and main findings. To evaluate study quality/risk of bias, the NIH tool was used. Study selection, data extraction and assessment of study quality were each conducted by two reviewers.
resultsSeven studies were included in our current work. Several cross-sectional studies and one longitudinal study reported an association between poorer oral health and higher loneliness as well as higher social isolation. The quality of the studies was mostly fair, with two studies of high quality. The pooled OR was 1.47 (95% CI: 1.24-1.75) among the studies with adult samples.
conclusionMost of the included studies demonstrated an association between oral health and loneliness or social isolation. There is a lack of high quality studies on these associations; in particular, future studies should use longitudinal data to clarify the directionality between oral health and loneliness or social isolation. Prospero registration number: CRD42021268116.
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