Oral frailty status and influencing factors in a community-based elderly population: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To assess the current state and influencing factors of oral frailty in a community-based elderly population systematically.

Methods: This study retrieved eligible articles from online databases such as Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library, SinoMed, CNKI and Wanfang published through July 29, 2024. Two researchers reviewed the literature, extracted data, and assessed quality. Stata18.0 was used for the meta-analysis.

Results: This study included 13 retrieved articles containing 7,352 total patients, covering 9 influencing factors. A meta-analysis of the 13 studies revealed a 42% incidence of oral frailty (95% CI: 32-51%) in community-dwelling elderly individuals. The meta-analysis revealed 10 statistically significant influencing factors for oral frailty in the elderly population: advanced age (95% CI: 1.02-2.22), female sex (95% CI: 0.30-5.87), few remaining natural teeth and denture use (95% CI: 0.88-22.79), chronic disease history (95% CI: 1.31-2.93), physical frailty (95% CI: 1.97-4.14), poor motor function (95% CI: 0.80-2.46), living alone and eating alone (95% CI: 0.54-16.60), depression (95% CI: 1.11-2.29), smoking (95% CI: 1.98-5.28), high education level (95% CI: 0.17-0.37), high oral health score (95% CI: 0.42-1.60), and sleep quality (95% CI: 0.26-2.29).

Conclusion: Elderly individuals have a relatively high incidence of oral frailty. Factors influencing oral frailty in elderly individuals include advanced age, female sex, low oral health score, few remaining natural teeth and denture use, chronic disease history, physical frailty, poor motor function, living alone and eating alone, depression, smoking and poor sleep quality. Early screening and intervention should be carried out to reduce the impact of adverse outcomes on patients.