Association between shortened dental configurations and health outcomes: a scoping review

This study mapped definitions of shortened dental configurations and health outcomes employed in association studies. A scoping review was conducted using the PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO and Cochrane databases. Two trained researchers selected studies and extracted data. Studies that investigated the association between shortened dental configurations (exposure) and person-centered outcomes (general and oral health) related to health behavior (dietary patterns). Clinical outcomes were classified according to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health and the International Classification of Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO). Shortened dental configurations were defined as at least 20/21 teeth or the position of the teeth, including esthetics, dental occlusion and periodontal status (Eichner Index, Shortened Dental Arches, Functional Dentition Classification System, Posterior Occluding Pairs, Functional Tooth Units). The initial search resulted in 12,525 records in English, Portuguese and Spanish, 432 of which addressed the association of interest. General health (n = 203) and oral health (n = 201) were addressed in a similar number of studies. Most outcomes were related to general health (n = 184), the most frequent of which were endocrine, nutritional or metabolic diseases (n = 57) and mental functions (n = 26). Person-centered measures were addressed in 153 studies, most of which were about oral health and oral health-related quality of life (n = 62). Oral health outcomes were predominantly related to intake functions (n = 44) and diseases or disorders of the orofacial complex (n = 24). Dietary patterns (n = 43) and mortality (n = 38) were also studied. The cross-sectional design (n = 257) and non-probabilistic sampling (n = 218) were more frequent. The shortened dental configurations defined by the WHO were the most frequent in the studies (n = 206). The effects of shortened dental configurations have been investigated mainly in relation to endocrine, nutritional or metabolic diseases and measures of oral health-related quality of life. The findings point to a diversity of health outcomes assessed and substantial methodological variability.