Non-Cochrane · aetiology · PM41553031
Dentition-Cognition Relationship in Aging Populations: A Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Data.
Chen Huimin, Ji Ling, Wang Yilin, et al. · Journal of oral rehabilitation · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1111/joor.70149
Findings
Population Aging populations (mostly adults aged 60 years or older) in longitudinal cohort studies
14 findings
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Asian populations (no Western studies) | OR 1.43 [1.10, 1.85] GRADE not reported 8 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Male | OR 1.22 [1.09, 1.36] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Western populations | OR 1.37 [0.93, 2.00] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Overall | OR 1.26 [1.07, 1.49] GRADE not reported 14 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Overall | OR 1.40 [1.14, 1.71] GRADE not reported 9 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Sex subgroups combined (Fig. 2c total) | OR 1.28 [1.19, 1.38] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Asian populations | OR 1.14 [1.06, 1.22] GRADE not reported 10 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Asian and Western populations combined (Fig. 2d total) | OR 1.21 [1.03, 1.43] GRADE not reported 14 studies |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Asian populations (text-reported) | OR 1.09 [1.08, 1.11] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Western populations (text-reported) | OR 1.69 [1.66, 1.72] GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Tooth loss | Fewer lost teeth / dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Female | OR 1.34 [1.21, 1.49] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Edentulism | Dentate (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Overall | OR 1.16 [1.09, 1.23] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Edentulism | Dentate (reference) | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Overall | OR 1.90 [1.07, 3.35] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Tooth loss in denture wearers | Dentate or less tooth loss (reference) | Incident dementia Mean follow-up 8.87 years across all included studies · Community and population-based cohorts (Asia, Europe, USA) · Overall | OR 1.03 [0.82, 1.28] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
Included primary studies 42
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chen 2024 Association between oral health and cognitive impairment in older adults: Insights from a Six-year prospective cohort study. PMID:38801941 | 2024 | 1 other review | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Kim 2021 Association between Tooth Loss and Alzheimer's Disease in a Nested Case-Control Study Based on a National Health Screening Cohort. PMID:34501210 | 2021 | 1 other review | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Okamoto 2015 Association between tooth loss and the development of mild memory impairment in the elderly: the Fujiwara-kyo Study. PMID:25362033 | 2015 | 1 other review | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Asher 2023 Association of tooth count with cognitive decline and dementia in the Finnish adult population DOI:10.1111/jcpe.13851 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Asher 2023 Association of tooth count with cognitive decline and dementia in the Finnish adult population. PMID:37461219 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Chen 2025 Associations between tooth loss, denture use, and dementia in older Taiwanese adults. PMID:39774060 | 2025 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Chen JT 2024 Association between oral health and cognitive impairment in older adults: Insights from a Six-year prospective cohort study DOI:10.1016/j.jdent.2024.105088 | 2024 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Chen YW 2025 Associations among tooth loss, denture use, and dementia in older Taiwanese adults DOI:10.1097/jcma.0000000000001171 | 2024 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Chou 2024 Denture Use Mitigates the Cognitive Impact of Tooth Loss in Older Adults DOI:10.1093/gerona/glae248 | 2024 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Chou 2024 Denture Use Mitigates the Cognitive Impact of Tooth Loss in Older Adults. PMID:39626020 | 2024 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Dintica 2018 Tooth loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and volumetric brain differences: a population-based study DOI:10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2018.03.003 | 2018 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Dintica 2018 Tooth loss is associated with accelerated cognitive decline and volumetric brain differences: a population-based study. PMID:29609079 | 2018 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| He 2023 Poor Oral Health as a Risk Factor for Dementia in a Swedish Population: A Cohort Study with 40 Years of Follow-Up DOI:10.3233/jad-215177 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| He 2023 Poor Oral Health as a Risk Factor for Dementia in a Swedish Population: A Cohort Study with 40 Years of Follow-Up. PMID:36710668 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Kim 2021 Association between Tooth Loss and Alzheimer’s Disease in a Nested Case–Control Study Based on a National Health Screening Cohort DOI:10.3390/jcm10173763 | 2021 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Kiuchi 2024 Number of Teeth and Dementia-free Life Expectancy: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study DOI:10.1016/j.jamda.2024.105258 | 2024 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Kiuchi 2024 Number of Teeth and Dementia-free Life Expectancy: A 10-Year Follow-Up Study from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. PMID:39276797 | 2024 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Ko 2022 The Impact of Masticatory Function on Cognitive Impairment in Older Patients: A Population-Based Matched Case-Control Study DOI:10.3349/ymj.2022.63.8.783 | 2022 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Ko 2022 The Impact of Masticatory Function on Cognitive Impairment in Older Patients: A Population-Based Matched Case-Control Study. PMID:35914761 | 2022 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Kulkarni 2023 Poor Oral Health Linked with Higher Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease DOI:10.3390/brainsci13111555 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Kulkarni 2023 Poor Oral Health Linked with Higher Risk of Alzheimer's Disease. PMID:38002515 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Kusama 2023 Poor oral health and dementia risk under time-varying confounding: A cohort study based on marginal structural models. PMID:38064294 | 2024 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Kusama 2024 Poor oral health and dementia risk under time‐varying confounding: A cohort study based on marginal structural models DOI:10.1111/jgs.18707 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Li 2023 Longitudinal association of edentulism with cognitive impairment, sarcopenia and all-cause mortality among older Chinese adults DOI:10.1186/s12903-023-03015-w | 2023 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Li 2023 Longitudinal association of edentulism with cognitive impairment, sarcopenia and all-cause mortality among older Chinese adults. PMID:37244990 | 2023 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Miyano 2024 Association Between Reduced Posterior Occlusal Contact and Alzheimer’s Disease Onset in Older Japanese Adults: Results from the LIFE Study DOI:10.3233/jad-230449 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Miyano 2024 Association Between Reduced Posterior Occlusal Contact and Alzheimer's Disease Onset in Older Japanese Adults: Results from the LIFE Study. PMID:38160352 | 2024 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Nagatani 2023 Oral frailty as a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults: Kashiwa study DOI:10.1016/j.exger.2022.112075 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Nagatani 2023 Oral frailty as a risk factor for mild cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older adults: Kashiwa study. PMID:36581224 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Okamoto 2015 Association between Tooth Loss and the Development of Mild Memory Impairment in the Elderly: The Fujiwara-kyo Study DOI:10.3233/jad-141665 | 2015 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Saito 2018 Association between tooth loss and cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older Japanese adults: a 4-year prospective cohort study… DOI:10.1186/s12903-018-0602-7 | 2018 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Saito 2018 Association between tooth loss and cognitive impairment in community-dwelling older Japanese adults: a 4-year prospective cohort study… PMID:30126407 | 2018 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Shimada 2025 Tooth loss explains income inequalities in dementia DOI:10.1016/j.jdent.2024.105518 | 2025 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Shimada 2025 Tooth loss explains income inequalities in dementia. PMID:39653269 | 2025 | this review only | Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Xu 2021 Association between tooth loss rate and risk of mild cognitive impairment in older adults: a population-based longitudinal study DOI:10.18632/aging.203504 | 2021 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Xu 2021 Association between tooth loss rate and risk of mild cognitive impairment in older adults: a population-based longitudinal study. PMID:34495870 | 2021 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Yamamoto 2012 Association Between Self-Reported Dental Health Status and Onset of Dementia DOI:10.1097/psy.0b013e318246dffb | 2012 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Yamamoto 2012 Association between self-reported dental health status and onset of dementia: a 4-year prospective cohort study of older Japanese adults… PMID:22408130 | 2012 | this review only | Incident dementia; Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) | not extracted yet |
| Yoo 2019 The effect of missing teeth on dementia in older people: a nationwide population-based cohort study in South Korea. PMID:31023356 | 2019 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Yoo 2023 Association between Dental Diseases and Oral Hygiene Care and the Risk of Dementia: A Retrospective Cohort Study. PMID:37709259 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Yoo JE 2023 Association between Dental Diseases and Oral Hygiene Care and the Risk of Dementia: A Retrospective Cohort Study DOI:10.1016/j.jamda.2023.08.011 | 2023 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
| Yoo JJ 2019 The effect of missing teeth on dementia in older people: a nationwide population-based cohort study in South Korea DOI:10.1186/s12903-019-0750-4 | 2019 | this review only | Incident dementia | not extracted yet |
Overlap with other reviews
Reviews that include the same primary studies are not independent evidence. Shared counts match studies by PMID, DOI or NCT, and otherwise by author and year (a probable match). Only the non-Cochrane dental reviews have study lists, so overlap with Cochrane reviews is not counted yet.
Review question
| Element | Planned (methods) | Found (results) |
|---|---|---|
| Population | Aging populations (older adults) | Older adults, mostly aged over 60 years (n=21 studies; N=35,744,989) |
| Intervention | Tooth loss or edentulism (exposure); denture use | Tooth loss (n=14 dementia; n=9 MCI), edentulism (n=4 dementia; n=3 MCI), denture use (n=3) |
| Comparison | Teeth retained or dentate; not specified in detail | Less or no tooth loss; dentate |
| Outcomes | Cognitive outcomes: dementia, Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment | Dementia (n=14); MCI (n=9) |
| Study designs | Longitudinal and cohort studies, including longitudinal case-control studies | Longitudinal cohort studies (n=21) |
| Timing | Not specified | Mean follow-up 8.87 years |