The association between social isolation and oral health of community‐dwelling older adults—A systematic review

Abstract

Aim Social isolation and oral health problems commonly exist in older populations and can influence each other. However, evidence on this bidirectional correlation is scarce. This systematic review aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of literature in which social isolation and oral health were associated with each other separately. Methods Electronic searches were performed through six databases. Original cross‐sectional and longitudinal prospective studies that evaluated the associations between social isolation and oral health as either exposure or outcome were included. Results In total, 282 articles were retrieved. Of these, 10 cross‐sectional studies and one longitudinal study were included in the analysis. The level of evidence reported was generally moderate to strong. Most studies found that both stronger objective and perceived social isolation were associated with worse oral health in both directions. The frequency of meeting friends had an inconsistent association with oral health. Conclusions The results of our systematic review showed a bidirectional association between social isolation and oral health in independent community‐dwelling older adults. Both objective and perceived social isolation are associated with oral health. As objective social isolation indicators, quality of social connectedness appears to play a more important role in the association with oral health.

Association between age people started working and missing teeth in an elderly population in Ecuador: Evidence from a cross-sectional study

“…Overall, Model 2, which was fully adjusted for various demographic and social factors and illnesses, confirmed an association between starting work at a young age (5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12) and an increased risk of tooth loss in older adults. This highlights the importance of considering early work experiences and other social determinants in understanding oral health outcomes in older populations.…”

“…Currently, there are no studies investigating the impact of child labor on the oral cavity, despite the evidence that psychological, social and environmental factors [ 9 ] can negatively impact oral health. Stress [ 10 , 11 ] and social isolation [ 12 , 13 ] are two well-documented adult examples, and, in children, poor dental health habits [ 14 ] and low education level [ 15 ] of the parents have been revealed to deteriorate oral health. In general, systemic health and oral health have shown a bidirectional relationship [ 16 ], which means preserving a healthy dentition is intrinsically linked to the quality of life of each individual [ 17 ].…”

Risk factors of skin barrier dysfunction in older adults: A systematic review

“…"Yes" and "no" responses for each item were interpreted as "low-risk of bias (+)" and "high-risk of bias (Â)," respectively, and the robvis tool was used to visualize the results (McGuinness & Higgins, 2021). The overall risk of bias for individual studies was determined based on the percentage of "yes" ratings as follows: high (<49%: Â), moderate (50-69%: -), and low (>70%: +) (Hurst et al, 2023;Yun et al, 2023).…”