The prevalence of oral frailty among older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis

AimThis study is the first to explore the prevalence of oral frailty among older adults through systematic review and meta-analysis.FindingsThe overall pooled prevalence of oral frailty and oral pre-frailty in older adults was 24% and 57% respectively.MessageOral frailty was common in older adults and various characteristics such as gender, source, country, study design and evaluation scales may affect its prevalence. BackgroundIn recent years, oral frailty was proposed as a new concept regarding dental and oral health in older adults. Poor oral health is linked to preserving general health and has become a geriatric public health problem that deeply affects healthy aging. While in present, evidence on the prevalence associated with oral frailty in older adults remains unclear.ObjectiveTo systematically evaluate the prevalence of oral frailty among older adults, stratified by relevant factors such as gender, source, study design, region, and the evaluation scales for oral frailty and provide an evidence-based foundation for healthcare professionals and policymakers to formulate relevant measures.MethodsTen electronic databases were systematically searched from inception to September 2023, including PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, PsycINFO, The Cochrane Library, CINAHL, China National Knowledge Infrastructure Database (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Database (Sinomed), Weipu Database, and Wanfang database. Based on the Stata 15.0 software package, a random effect model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of oral frailty among older adults. In addition, sensitivity analysis, subgroup analysis, and meta-regression were conducted based on different study characteristics to detect heterogeneity sources. Funnel plots, Begg's and Egger's tests were used to evaluate the publication bias.ResultsEighteen studies with a total of 12,932 older adults were included for meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of oral frailty and oral pre-frailty was 24% (95% CI: 20-28%) and 57% (95% CI: 52-61%) respectively. Based on different assessment tools of oral frailty, the pooled prevalence of oral frailty was higher when using the OFI-8 scale (44.1%; 95% CI: 35.4-52.8%) than the OFI-6 scale (18.3%; 95% CI: 15.8-20.8%) or OF checklist (22.1%; 95% CI: 17.4-26.7%). The prevalence of oral frailty was higher among older adults in females (23.8%; 95% CI: 18.4-29.2%), hospital settings (31%, 95% CI: 16.6-45.5%), cross-sectional design (26.7%, 95% CI: 19.2-34.2%), and China (45.9%, 95% CI: 34.4-57.3%).ConclusionsOur study showed that oral frailty was common among older adults and various characteristics may affect its prevalence. Thus, healthcare professionals and policymakers should take oral frailty seriously in clinical practice and program planning and develop more preventive measures for oral frailty among older adults.