Non-Cochrane · prognostic · PM42136528
Association of Socioeconomic Factors With Oral Health in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Syed Saif S, Pojmonpiti Sungkrit, Janssens Barbara, et al. · Gerodontology · 2026 · PubMed · doi:10.1111/ger.70079
Findings
33 findings
| Population | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Edentulism prevalence Overall | OR 1.53 [1.18, 1.97] GRADE not reported 10 studies · 323457 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Edentulism prevalence Occupation-based classification | OR 1.86 [0.18, 19.20] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 5212 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Irregular use of dental services Overall (occupation and income parameters) | OR 2.42 [1.60, 3.66] GRADE not reported 4 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Community-dwelling population (stratified) | OR 1.84 [1.33, 2.54] GRADE not reported 5 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Irregular use of dental services Institutionalised population (stratified) | OR 1.96 [1.40, 2.75] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Overall | OR 1.59 [1.15, 2.19] GRADE not reported 7 studies · 16476 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Edentulism prevalence Income-based classification | OR 1.41 [0.91, 2.19] GRADE not reported 6 studies · 147992 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Low frequency of toothbrushing Institutionalised population | OR 1.87 [0.44, 7.93] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Edentulism prevalence Community-dwelling population (stratified) | OR 1.67 [1.21, 2.32] GRADE not reported 7 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Edentulism prevalence Multi-aspect classification | OR 1.55 [0.10, 24.96] GRADE not reported 2 studies · 170253 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Number of decayed teeth Overall | MD 0.45 [0.15, 0.75] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Oral health-related quality of life (poorer OHRQoL) Overall (community-dwelling and mixed samples) | SMD 0.17 [0.07, 0.28] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Number of missing teeth Institutionalised population (stratified) | MD 1.93 [0.02, 3.84] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Number of missing teeth Income-based classification (overall) | MD 2.11 [0.73, 3.50] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 1608 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Income-based classification | OR 1.62 [1.18, 2.22] GRADE not reported 5 studies · 13210 participants |
| Older adults aged 75 years and over | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Community-dwelling, institutionalised or mixed · Sensitivity analysis | Heterogeneity reduced from 83.4% to 74.2% while maintaining a comparable pooled estimate; the estimate is not given in the text GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Older adults aged 75 years and over | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Edentulism prevalence Community-dwelling, institutionalised or mixed · Sensitivity analysis excluding two outlier studies [26, 73] | Heterogeneity reduced from I2 = 99.2% to 86.6% without much altering the pooled estimate; the pooled estimate is not given in the text GRADE not reported 8 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low socioeconomic position (income, occupation or multi-aspect) | Higher socioeconomic position | Edentulism prevalence Institutionalised population (stratified) | OR 1.25 [0.04, 41.71] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Sensitivity analysis | Sensitivity analyses reduced heterogeneity from I2 = 93.8% to 83.5% while preserving similar pooled estimates GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Edentulism prevalence Overall | OR 1.85 [1.45, 2.36] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 22024 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Middle/high school (cutoff) | OR 1.62 [0.93, 2.82] GRADE not reported 4 studies · 21739 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Number of missing teeth Overall (elementary or lower cutoff) | MD 2.61 [1.15, 4.06] GRADE not reported 3 studies · 547 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Edentulism prevalence Elementary or lower (cutoff) | OR 1.85 [1.39, 2.46] GRADE not reported 8 studies · 21190 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Edentulism prevalence Sensitivity analysis | Sensitivity analyses further reduced heterogeneity from I2 = 85.4% to 30.2% while preserving similar pooled estimates GRADE not reported Studies not reported |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Oral health-related quality of life (poorer OHRQoL) Overall | SMD 0.21 [0.11, 0.30] GRADE not reported 3 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Edentulism prevalence Community-dwelling population (stratified) | OR 1.71 [1.17, 2.51] GRADE not reported 6 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Oral health-related quality of life (poorer OHRQoL) Community-dwelling population (stratified) | SMD 0.23 [0.13, 0.34] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Overall | OR 2.18 [1.58, 3.00] GRADE not reported 9 studies · 38685 participants |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Irregular use of dental services Community-dwelling population | OR 3.05 [0.00, 6745.81] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Community-dwelling population (stratified) | OR 1.98 [1.31, 3.00] GRADE not reported 7 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Number of missing teeth Community-dwelling population (stratified) | MD 2.97 [1.39, 4.55] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Community-dwelling and institutionalised mixed population (stratified) | OR 2.89 [2.55, 3.27] GRADE not reported 2 studies |
| Adults aged 75 years and older | Low education level | Higher education level | Lacking a functional dentition (fewer than 20 natural teeth) Elementary or lower (cutoff) | OR 2.72 [1.93, 3.85] GRADE not reported 5 studies · 16946 participants |
Included primary studies 68
Open in Studies| Study | Year | Also included by | Outcomes it informs here | Trial data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liang et al. 2020 Impact of periodontal disease and chewing ability on the quality of life of the elderly in an affluent community. PMID:31982268 | 2020 | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Thorstensson et al. 2010 Why do some people lose teeth across their lifespan whereas others retain a functional dentition into very old age? PMID:19545321 | 2010 | 2 other reviews | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Aida et al. 2011 The association between neighborhood social capital and self-reported dentate status in elderly Japanese--the Ohsaki Cohort 2006 Study. PMID:21091754 | 2011 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Brothwell et al. 2008 Dental service utilization by independently dwelling older adults in Manitoba, Canada. PMID:18353200 | 2008 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Castrejón‐Pérez et al. 2017 Negative impact of oral health conditions on oral health related quality of life of community dwelling elders in Mexico city, a population… PMID:27150729 | 2017 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Chan et al. 2025 Role of social capital on edentulism, social participation and cognition. PMID:41072900 | 2025 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Dai et al. 2023 Tooth loss, denture use, and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older adults: a community cohort study. PMID:37342280 | 2023 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Edman et al. 2016 Prevalence of dental caries and influencing factors, time trends over a 30-year period in an adult population. Epidemiological studies… PMID:27215270 | 2016 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ferreira et al. 2008 Tooth loss, denture wearing and associated factors among an elderly institutionalised Brazilian population. PMID:18282145 | 2008 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ganbavale et al. 2024 Neighborhood Deprivation and Changes in Oral Health in Older Age: A Longitudinal Population-Based Study. PMID:38414259 | 2024 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hatta et al. 2018 Influence of lack of posterior occlusal support on cognitive decline among 80-year-old Japanese people in a 3-year prospective study. PMID:30295988 | 2018 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Heegaard et al. Amount and type of alcohol consumption and missing teeth among community-dwelling older adults: findings from the Copenhagen Oral Health… PMID:22320290 | 2011 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Holm‐Pedersen et al. 2006 Periodontal disease in the oldest-old living in Kungsholmen, Sweden: findings from the KEOHS project. PMID:16677325 | 2006 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hsu et al. 2013 Masticatory factors as predictors of oral health-related quality of life among elderly people in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. PMID:24241772 | 2014 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hunt et al. 1985 Edentulism and oral health problems among elderly rural Iowans: the Iowa 65+ rural health study. PMID:3898879 | 1985 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Inomata et al. 2017 Dietary Intake Is Associated with Occlusal Force Rather Than Number of Teeth in 80-y-Old Japanese. PMID:30931780 | 2017 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Islas‐Granillo et al. 2014 Salivary Parameters (Salivary Flow, pH and Buffering Capacity) in Stimulated Saliva of Mexican Elders 60 Years Old and Older. PMID:25867562 | 2014 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Islas‐Granillo et al. 2016 Tooth-Loss Experience and Associated Variables among Adult Mexicans 60 Years and Older. PMID:27232870 | 2016 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Jensen et al. 2008 Factors associated with oral health-related quality of life in community-dwelling elderly persons with disabilities. PMID:18284537 | 2008 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kim et al. 2009 Chewing function impacts oral health-related quality of life among institutionalized and community-dwelling Korean elders. PMID:19681982 | 2009 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Kim et al. 2018 Social capital and oral health: The association of social capital with edentulism and chewing ability in the rural elderly. PMID:29065366 | 2018 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Komiyama et al. 2016 Association Between Tooth Loss, Receipt of Dental Care, and Functional Disability in an Elderly Japanese Population: The Tsurugaya Project. PMID:27801931 | 2016 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Lundgren et al. 1995 Oral complaints and utilization of dental services in relation to general health factors in a 88-year-old Swedish population. PMID:9084294 | 1995 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Musacchio et al. 2007 Tooth loss in the elderly and its association with nutritional status, socio-economic and lifestyle factors. PMID:17453425 | 2007 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Niesten et al. 2017 Oral health care behavior and frailty-related factors in a care-dependent older population. PMID:28380347 | 2017 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Osterberg et al. 1995 Dental state and functional capacity in 75-year-olds in three Nordic localities. PMID:7472739 | 1995 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Qi et al. 2023 Social isolation, loneliness and accelerated tooth loss among Chinese older adults: A longitudinal study. PMID:35040179 | 2023 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Rapp et al. 2017 Oral Health and the Frail Elderly. PMID:28721433 | 2017 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Rocha‐Ortiz et al. 2023 Tooth Loss and Associated Factors in Mexican Older Adults in Nursing Homes: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study. PMID:37096226 | 2023 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Syrjälä et al. 2010 Number of teeth and selected cardiovascular risk factors among elderly people. PMID:19702670 | 2010 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Syrjälä et al.2011 Salivary flow rate and periodontal infection - a study among subjects aged 75 years or older. PMID:21114589 | 2011 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Tsakos et al. 2009 The impact of educational level on oral health-related quality of life in older people in London. PMID:19583757 | 2009 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wright et al. 2018 Oral health of community-dwelling older Australian men: the Concord Health and Ageing in Men Project (CHAMP). PMID:28853154 | 2018 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Wu et al. 2018 Oral Health Indicators for Risk of Malnutrition in Elders. PMID:29380853 | 2018 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Yanagisawa et al. 2023 [Psychosocial mediators between socioeconomic status and oral health among urban-dwelling older adults]. PMID:37032068 | 2023 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Yang et al. 2022 Socioeconomics, health-related factors, and tooth loss among the population aged over 80 years in China. PMID:35247999 | 2022 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zini et al. 2008 The effect of oral health on quality of life in an underprivileged homebound and non-homebound elderly population in Jerusalem. PMID:18005351 | 2008 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zini et al. 2011 The association between demographic and oral health-related quality of life factors and dental care attendance among underprivileged older… PMID:21672115 | 2011 | 1 other review | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Avlund et al. 2001 Functional ability and oral health among older people: a longitudinal study from age 75 to 80. PMID:11527488 | 2001 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Avlund et al. 2005 The strength of two indicators of social position on oral health among persons over the age of 80 years. PMID:16468465 | 2005 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Bakker et al. 2021 General health, healthcare costs and dental care use of elderly with a natural dentition, implant-retained overdenture or conventional… PMID:34481474 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Cocco et al. 2018 The burden of tooth loss in Italian elderly population living in nursing homes. PMID:29558907 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Dye et al. 2019 Tooth loss among older adults according to poverty status in the United States from 1999 through 2004 and 2009 through 2014. PMID:30503018 | 2019 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Evren et al. 2011 The association between socioeconomic status, oral hygiene practice, denture stomatitis and oral status in elderly people living different… PMID:21269712 | 2011 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Go et al. 2022 Incidence of edentulism among older adults using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, 2013-2018. PMID:36265516 | 2022 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Griffin et al. 2012 Burden of oral disease among older adults and implications for public health priorities. PMID:22390504 | 2012 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Hassel et al. 2006 Factors associated with oral health-related quality of life in institutionalized elderly. PMID:16428176 | 2006 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Iosif et al. 2021 Oral Health Related Quality of Life and Prosthetic Status among Institutionalized Elderly from the Bucharest Area: A Pilot Study. PMID:34205700 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Iwasaki et al.2018 Dentition status and frailty in community-dwelling older adults: A 5-year prospective cohort study. PMID:28944598 | 2018 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Janssens et al. The oral health condition and treatment needs assessment of nursing home residents in Flanders (Belgium). PMID:28872808 | 2017 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Komulainen et al. 2012 Associations of instrumental activities of daily living and handgrip strength with oral self-care among home-dwelling elderly 75+. PMID:22239745 | 2012 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Krustrup et al. 2008 The overtime effect of social position on dental caries experience in a group of old-aged Danes born in 1914. PMID:18179468 | 2008 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Lee et al. 2022 Gender differences in the association between oral health literacy and oral health-related quality of life in older adults. PMID:35614446 | 2022 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ling et al. 2014 Oral health of older people admitted to hospital for needs assessment. PMID:25597193 | 2014 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Paulander et al. 2003 Association between level of education and oral health status in 35-, 50-, 65- and 75-year-olds. PMID:12887338 | 2003 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Phipps et al. 2009 Periodontal health of older men: the MrOS dental study. PMID:19490134 | 2009 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Ramsay et al. 2015 Burden of poor oral health in older age: findings from a population-based study of older British men. PMID:26715480 | 2015 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Rise et al. 1982 Causal analysis on the use of dental services among old-age pensioners in Norway. PMID:6956477 | 1982 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Sato et al. 2016 Association between periodontitis and medical expenditure in older adults: A 33-month follow-up study. PMID:26272677 | 2016 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Shimamura et al. 2022 Association Between Procrastination in Childhood and the Number of Remaining Teeth in Japanese Older Adults. PMID:33840649 | 2022 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Silva et al. 2014 Dental caries in Victorian nursing homes. PMID:24819713 | 2014 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Singhal et al. 2021 Medicaid adult dental benefits and oral health of low-income older adults. PMID:34176569 | 2021 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Siukosaari et al. 2005 Level of education and incidence of caries in the elderly: a 5-year follow-up study. PMID:16163903 | 2005 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Siukosaari et al. 2012 Periodontal health status in the elderly with different levels of education: a 5-year follow-up study. PMID:21235623 | 2012 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Tennstedt et al. 1994 Understanding dental service use by older adults: sociobehavioral factors vs need. PMID:7799295 | 1994 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Uludamar et al. 2011 Oral health status and treatment requirements of different residential homes in Istanbul: a comparative study. PMID:21168924 | 2011 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Vu et al. 2022 Gender modified association of oral health indicators with oral health-related quality of life among Korean elders. PMID:35524199 | 2022 | this review only | not stated | not extracted yet |
| Zuluaga et al. 2012 Association between oral health, cognitive impairment and oral health-related quality of life. PMID:21883423 | 2012 | this review only | not stated | 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 | Older adults aged 75 years and over (or mean age of about 75 years) | Older adults aged 75 years and over; community-dwelling, institutionalised or mixed (n=68 studies; 25 institutionalised) |
| Intervention | Socioeconomic factors (education, income, occupation, area-level deprivation, multi-aspect socioeconomic position) | Low SEP (income, occupation, multi-aspect) and low education |
| Comparison | Higher versus lower socioeconomic position or education level | Higher SEP and higher education |
| Outcomes | Dentition status, dental caries, periodontal disease, dry mouth, oral function, oral health behaviours, OHRQoL | Number of missing teeth, edentulism, lacking functional dentition, decayed teeth, irregular dental attendance, toothbrushing frequency, OHRQoL (meta-analysed); periodontal disease, dry mouth, oral function narrative only |
| Study designs | Cross-sectional and cohort studies; sample size of at least 10 per group | Mostly cross-sectional data (65 studies) with three cohort studies (n=68); 30 studies in meta-analysis |
| Timing | Not specified | Not specified |