SynthesisBMC oral health2026
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the prevalence and risk factors of oral frailty among older adults.
Synthesis in BMC oral health, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo systematically review the prevalence of oral frailty among older adults and its associated risk factors.
methodThis systematic review and meta-analysis was prospectively registered with PROSPERO (CRD420261288065) and conducted in accordance with PRISMA guidelines. We developed a search strategy and systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, MEDLINE, the Cochrane Library, and CINAHL from inception to August 1, 2025. Studies investigating the prevalence of oral frailty or its risk factors among older adults were included. Two reviewers independently performed study screening, data extraction, and quality assessment, and data were analyzed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 14.0. This study was registered in PROSPERO.
resultsA total of 16 studies involving 13,030 participants were included. The pooled prevalence of oral frailty was 32% (95% CI: 25%-41%), with substantial heterogeneity (I² = 98.85%). Subgroup analyses showed that prevalence varied by country, study design, assessment instrument, and publication year (all p < 0.05). Univariable meta-regression indicated that the assessment instrument was the primary source of heterogeneity (R² = 56.1%, p < 0.001). Pooled analyses of risk factors showed that physical frailty (95% CI: 1.41-4.62), age (95% CI: 1.08-1.11), having fewer than 20 remaining teeth (95% CI: 2.27-21.00) and female sex (95% CI: 1.22-1.91) were associated with an increased risk of oral frailty (all p < 0.05).
conclusionsOral frailty is prevalent among older adults and is associated with demographic characteristics, overall frailty status, and underlying oral structural conditions. Clinical and community settings should focus on older adults at high risk of oral frailty, particularly those with fewer than 20 remaining teeth, physical frailty, advanced age, or female sex. Early identification should be prioritized, and multidimensional interventions-including oral function and dentition assessment, nutritional support, frailty management, and targeted oral health education-should be implemented through multidisciplinary collaboration to reduce risk and improve quality of life.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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 OpenQuestion graph.