Adverse health outcomes of oral frailty in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Oral frailty(OF) is a comprehensive manifestation of impaired chewing, swallowing, and oral function in older adults, and is associated with adverse health outcomes such as malnutrition, physical frailty, and falls. This study analyzes the association between OF and adverse health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults to provide insights for improving their quality of life. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, The Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases to identify studies related to OF in community-dwelling older adults and their adverse health outcomes. The search was limited to studies published from the inception of each database up to May 31, 2025. The focus was on studies involving community-dwelling older adults aged 60 years and older, adverse health outcomes associated with OF, and studies employing cross-sectional or cohort study designs. RESULTS: A review of 23 studies involving 27,585 participants found that OF in community-dwelling older adults was associated with physical frailty (OR = 1.78, 95% CI: 1.19, 2.68), sarcopenia (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.64, 2.47), falls (OR = 1.58, 95% CI: 1.37, 1.82), high oral microbial counts (OR = 3.05, 95% CI: 1.35, 6.88), malnutrition (OR=2.18, 95% CI: 1.63, 2.92), and low dietary diversity (OR=1.98, 95% CI: 1.15, 3.39). CONCLUSION: There is an association between OF and adverse health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. Investigating the relationship between OF and adverse health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults is of great significance for improving the quality of life of older adults and promoting healthy longevity.